The first night was dizzying for Ahsoka. There were too many people, too many noises, too much commotion. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka had been forced to stay at the edge of the crowd of party-goers with real servants, trying to catch glimpses of Anakin and Padmé without drawing attention. The young couple had been swept away with many others, mingling, dancing, and laughing.
Anakin would have enjoyed it more without the crowd, but there were advantages, such as being able to really act like lovers. He could tell Padmé she looked beautiful, tell her how much he loved her, even finish their conversation from earlier...
The first night did pass by without any noticeable concerns though, and the crowds seemed to help them blend in. The official who owned the house used for the party really seemed to know a great number of beings from all over the galaxy.
The second day was to be a lot quieter, as they were to attend a private luncheon with a few other important guests. Anakin had sent a coded message to the troopers in a nearby system to be redirected to the Council early that morning, saying that everything was going fine for the moment.
Despite the smaller gathering, the four were more on edge, as they had no idea as to who would be eating with them, and they had to hope no one would recognize them. They wished in some ways they had really changed their appearances before coming on the mission, but the tech that could transform them was being repaired at the Council, and if they had gone somewhere else, they were risking discovery as well. Hopefully no one would suspect a Jedi being in love.
The couple in custody had said that they had never met the people at the luncheon before, but that any attendee could be there to keep tabs on them. That information was enough to make them all a bit wary.
The time came for the four of them to leave, and they decided to leave R2 at the apartment to look out for anything suspicious. They rode a small shuttle to the apartment building for the luncheon, and they made their way to the top floor as instructed. As the lift opened, Padmé took Anakin's arm. Obi-Wan shared a glance with Ahsoka, and together, they walked to the correctly numbered door.
"Here goes nothing..." Anakin sighed as he knocked.
The face that greeted them was unfamiliar, and they found themselves relieved it was not a recognizable enemy. It was a human woman, with chocolate skin and amber eyes.
"You must be the Thornes. May I ask who your guests are?" she said with a quick glance.
"These are our servants, newly acquired: Sasha and Vinorin," Padmé said in a casual tone. "We thought they might be able to lend a hand with the luncheon."
Ahsoka and Obi-Wan bowed deeply in unison.
"Come on in," the woman said. "My name is Alyndall, but you might know me by 'Doll'."
Instead of responding to the name, Anakin nodded solemnly and they filed into the room. Doll closed the door behind them, then led them through the apartment.
"So, Doll," Padmé began apprehensively. "Are we early?"
"Actually, you're just on time. The others arrived just moments ago."
Anakin and Obi-Wan shared a glance, preparing for the worst. However, when they rounded the corner, they were quite surprised.
It was worse than they had imagined: instead of a room full of enemies, the room contained some friends.
The faces they instantly recognized were Duchess Satine Kryze, Korkie Kryze, and Lux Bonteri. Three guests remained unknown.
Satine had been speaking to the group, but she stopped mid-sentence when she saw her friends. Luckily, the pause and stares were thought to be apprehension rather than recognition, so Doll began to introduce the new attendees.
"May I present Mr. Myn Thorne, his wife Shiemma, and their servants."
There were a chorus of hellos before Doll rattled off the next names: Satine, Korkie, Lux, Rohja Gtaa, Mark Laritzso, and a man who simply went by Sam.
Satine had locked eyes with Obi-Wan, but he used all his power to speak to her. Whatever you do, do not give us away.
She raised her chin at him, and glanced at Korkie. The boy understood the need for silence from the look in her eyes.
Lux Bonteri did his best to hide his confusion as well. When he saw Ahsoka hidden behind the Jedi masters, he realized that they were doing this for a reason. He dared not say a word.
All of the guests were then taken to the dining room where a large table sat covered in heaps of food. The couple quickly sat down and the other two stood respectively by the wall, doing their best to nonchalantly assess the three unknown characters before them.
Rohja was a Rodian woman, Mark was a male Zabrak, and Sam was human. There was a possibility that one of them, or even Doll, could be Separatist spies. In a way, the three Jedi and the senator were lucky: they had already narrowed down the number from seven to four. Lux had long since turned himself around, and the Duchess and her nephew were unquestionable. They were probably there because Satine helped lead neutral systems such as the planet they were on.
The meal started with small chatting. No one asked about Ahsoka and Obi-Wan standing away from them, but that was how servants were treated.
Lux kept glancing off towards Ahsoka, despite his efforts to refrain from doing so. Obi-Wan paid close attention as Korkie spoke to Rohja, the Rodian woman. The Duchess spoke softly with Padmé as Shiemma, asking her about their stay offhandedly. Even Anakin joined in conversation with the others about local sights and such.
They learned that Sam was from the area, and they found that the Duchess, her nephew, and Lux really did seem to be there for valid reasons. However, none of them had the slightest idea what was happening. Sadly, that was all they could find out.
Near the end of the meal, Lux excused himself to use the refresher, passing Ahsoka in the process. He caught her gaze, asking a silent question. A moment later, against her better judgement, Ahsoka offered to refill drinks. The offer was gladly accepted, and she left for the kitchen. Lux was waiting for her there in the doorway.
She moved past him and began opening cabinets quickly, searching for the drinks that had been requested and a few more cups.
He looked slightly confused at her antics, but proceeded to follow her.
"What are you doing? Why are you hiding?" He whispered beside her.
"I can't say," she replied quietly, her voice a bit muffled from the cloak she wore that covered everything but her eyes.
"Can I help at all?"
Ahsoka shook her head. "This doesn't concern you."
"Is there anything you can tell me?"
She shook her head once more as she found the first drink. She was reaching for it, but Lux caught her hand.
"Ahsoka," he said in the smallest of whispers.
Ahsoka had learned over the years to not let things surprise her, but the way he said her name with such desperation did.
She thought about how long it had been since they had last seen each other, which was around the time of Steela's death. Ahsoka was bothered by the fact that he still had some sort of affect on her emotions. It had been long enough; her slight attachment should have faded. She quickly discovered that "buried" was a better word to describe it.
She turned to look at him. His eyes pierced through hers. They, like hers, held many different emotions. Lots of things had gone unsaid between them since they had first met. They needed to talk, but now wasn't the time or place.
"Later?" he asked.
She hesitated, but then nodded. "Where?"
Lux quickly glanced around the room. The two of them heard laughter from the dining area, and they both paused. Ahsoka realized she was getting drinks and hurried up with her task.
A moment later, Lux pressed a small, crumpled piece of flimsi into her palm before walking back to the others.
Ahsoka tucked it away. This would be interesting.