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[neverjedi]

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[a rowdy bar in a galaxy far away]

[routemistress]

Iris is in-character as a sassy, if slightly past it, bar-girl approaching likely strangers for drinks, but someone who can read the pulses of things under their skin might see something very different. Only half her attention is on the bar patrons. Most of her is watching the door, and also watching the invisible cameras that surveil the bar. She positions herself carefully out of their lines of sight, puts bulkier patrons between herself and them, and camouflages her sharp alertness with random, sloppy affection.

She practically lands in Obi-Wan's lap, a light confection of soft feathers and perfume and smeared mascara, but she doesn't feel inconsequential or insubstantial. She's poised, strong and wiry and her eyes on his are grey, urgent and searching.

"Care to buy a lady a drink, sailor?" she asks, and murmurs under her breath.

"They'll be 'ere any minute. Tell 'em I was with you last night."

Re: [a rowdy bar in a galaxy far away]

[neverjedi]

Why, he wonders, do these things always happen to him? Is it the force? It's the force.

That it might be his own sense of adventure... all right, it might be that.

He catches her and pulls her further into his lap, arms wrapped around and immediately nibbling at her ear.

"I think I'd buy you anything you like if it keeps you in my lap." He's calm and steady when he looks at her, though and in spite a total lack of training seems to manage to feel reassuring to anyone with the ability to fill it. "Especially if you do that thing from last night again."

Re: [a rowdy bar in a galaxy far away]

[routemistress]

Iris apparently picks up on his wordless communication, because she relaxes at once, and her attention shifts until it's focused entirely on him. She doesn't use the Force - or if she does, it's calibrated very differently to the way he uses it - but she definitely gives the impression of having seen deeper than most.

"I think that thing from tonight'll be even better, lovey. I personally can't wait. Oh, 'ere they come!"

"They" prove to be local law enforcement, and Iris clings to his neck as they get closer.

[neverjedi]

His eyeroll is probably palpable, but he wraps his arms around her and engages in what is a very enthusiastic make-out session with her, to deflect any attention from her and to provide a very literal physical shield to hide her from view.

"I want to know what they think you did," he murmurs, soft and directly into her ear.

[darkforcerising]

Pieces put back in the warn wooden box, box back in his backpack, and pack back on his back. He stood up.

"Good game... Do you want to see my ID before we go get a rootbeer?"

[neverjedi]

He looked somewhat chastised by the question, but he also looked a little pained and embarrassed, because....

"I don't, actually."

...Blame his day job.

[darkforcerising]

"There's a bar around the corner," he said, catching that a key stroke hit dissonant.

"I'll buy you an actual beer. They already know I drink rootbeer."

[neverjedi]

He nodded, slightly and put his hands in his pockets and started walking. "You don't actually look anywhere near that young, and I don't actually need a beer though I'll take it. I just can't not be careful with that sort of thing."

It was an apology, yes.

[darkforcerising]

“It’s fine,” Anakin said, letting his smile be easy.

“I’ll even stop committing crimes when I’m with you to make it easier on you tonight.”

Bitty Anakin

[neverjedi]

He'd been picked up by slavers not all that long after he and Qui-Gon had... failed to come to an agreement about whether to leave Melida/Daan, or to stay and continue to help. He'd stayed and on his more bitter days he'd simply been left.

He had bounced around a lot in the ten years since then - from owner to dealer to owner, from one slave planet to another. That it took as long as it did for him to wind up on Tatooine was almost impressive.

That he'd survived long enough to figure out how to survive and even to avoid being in a force inhibiting collar was more than almost impressive; it actually was.

He'd been on Tatooine for all of a week, had definitely developed a sunburn and was a little dehydrated, but he'd had worse. Dear Force he had had worse.

He was sent to Watto's shop on an errand and went - of course he went, what else was he going to do. He looked around the dim space when he entered, sneezed and only then spotted a kid with a pile of droid parts. He smiled, slightly, and said, "Hello."

Re: Bitty Anakin

[justasmallfry]

Anakin looked up from his droid part pile reluctantly. Watto was out and that meant he could scour the new inventory for parts he could use on C-3PO or his pod-racer. He could take them, and hide them in places Watto didn't ever go, and pick them up later when Watto was gone again.

But he knew what he had to do, Watto would be furious with him if he didn't play shop-keep and help the customer.

He stood up, and with a long suffering sigh, he approached the man and said, "Watto's out right now. What do you need?"

Re: Bitty Anakin

[neverjedi]

He held out a datapad with the list to the little boy, though the long-suffering nature of that sigh was sad given that - Well, it was a little boy.

A very little boy, really.

"I've no idea what anything on that list does or is. I was just told to bring it back." Please don't screw him over with this, it will literally be skin off his back. "I can wait if you'd rather?"

Re: Bitty Anakin

[justasmallfry]

Anakin read the list faster than might seem prudent, but he knew all the parts. And he didn't know whether to laugh or curse. As a child of eight, he did both. His mother wasn't around, so it was fine.

"You're Sebulba's new slave, aren't you?"

After the Race

[justasmallfry]

He'd finished a race!

A giant grin plastered Anakin's face from the moment he realized he was going to cross the finish line until this moment while he was recapping the race for Obi-Wan.

"Sebulba almost got me in the canyon, but- but I knew something was going to happen and dropped back just before he wouldda swiped me into the wall! Do you know what I mean, Obi-Wan- I knew!"

Sebulba still won the race - no big surprise. And Anakin hadn't even come in second. But he had finished - this was the first time he'd ever finished a race. And there was minimal damage to the pod-racer, so Watto couldn't be too mad.

Re: After the Race

[neverjedi]

Sebulba still winning meant Obi-Wan wasn't suffering from an owner in a foul mood as well as generally being incredibly ill tempered. He felt guilty for his relief at that, but-

He was relieved that that could be at least postponed for a while, though he'd much rather it be his neck on the line than Anakin's.

He grinned at Anakin's enthusiasm and happiness. "That's wonderful. You're getting better both in flying and in the Force. Soon no one will be able to beat you."

Well, win.

Re: After the Race

[justasmallfry]

Anakin would have understood. Slaves took relief where they could.

He was, however, happy to learn his assessment of what happened was correct - he had used the Force! To fly! But in a way that was odd... like telling the future, kinda.

"Obi-Wan," he said thoughtfully. "What else can someone do with the Force?"

Working on Anakin's pod - Anakin has questions

[justasmallfry]

It was the next day after the storm and Anakin was working on his pod racer, getting it prepped for the race. It still needed a bit of work. And Obi-Wan was here helping, which Anakin appreciated a great deal.

He was focused on the task at hand, but his thoughts kept turning back to the dinner the night before. How could they not? Jedi, here on a mission to help another planet, Padme, he was going to enter a pod race with his very own pod racer...

And there was something between Obi-Wan and Master Jinn.

And it was only so long before the questions spilled out of him.

"Obi-Wan..." he started, hesitant. "You know Master Jinn?"

Re: Working on Anakin's pod - Anakin has questions

[neverjedi]

He can feel the questions roiling around Anakin, vague and undefined. He isn't too surprised when the question comes - wouldn't have even if he had no awareness of the Force, really.

So he pauses long enough to glance up with a smile. "I do. He was my Master when I was a Jedi Apprentice."

Re: Working on Anakin's pod - Anakin has questions

[justasmallfry]

"Oh." Anakin snapped a part into place, but he was definitely forming more questions around that new bit of information.

"But now you're not." Clearly fact. "You're a slave now... what happened?"

Qui-Gon's Return - A few days after the Battle on Naboo

[justasmallfry]

After business with Watto and Sebulba were settled, Qui-Gon had delivered the good news to the Skywalkers. And as delightful as the boy's response was, when all the important details were relayed, Qui-Gon left the arrangments for leaving to the Skywalkers and the Queen's guard that had come with him.

Qui-Gon had another poor soul to visit with the same good fortune.

And for something else.

He needed to do this without the Queen's guard as audience.

Qui-Gon found Obi-Wan just outside his quarters, apparently watching over another pair of slave children.

"Hello, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said. "I am happy to see you've recovered well."

[neverjedi]

The kids weren't tiny, but they were far too young to go to 'work' with their mother. Watching over for them a little, making sure they stayed relatively safe and out of trouble was a thing he could do easily and did-

while sitting on the ground in the shade cast by his own... what, hut? Hut.

He looked up when Qui-Gon arrived, bit before actually and smiled. "Hello. Did your mission go well?"

[justasmallfry]

Qui-Gon approached Obi-Wan with a smile that faded a bit when Obi-Wan asked his question.

He took a seat on crate close to Obi-Wan.

"The Trade Federation was defeated and the occupation of Naboo has ended," Qui-Gon said, and though that was good news there was an undercurrent of sorrow. "Master Rael did not survive."

There was obviously more to say. But Qui-Gon left it at that for now.

"But I was able to accomany the Queen's guard back here to help fulfill the request you made." That did bring the smile back a bit.

The Queen of Naboo

[justasmallfry]

Captain Panaka was grateful that these three individuals had assisted the Queen complete her journey to Coruscant, but he felt bringing them here, and what the Queen was about to do, was going too far against all safety measures, to express her gratitude.

Still, this was a battle he’d soundly lost to the unified forces of the Queen, herself, all her handmaidens, and even Panaka’s own wife (who was also one of the Queen’s bodyguards).

He was, if anything, a man true to his oath. So, he escorted them to the Royal Palace and showed them to the quarters assigned to them for their stay.

The Handmaidens left them at this point and disappeared down the corridor.

Panaka stayed while the three from Tatooine and Master Jinn settled their belongings – which wasn’t long for anyone – and then he led them not to the throne room (which was where he felt this meeting should take place, with the Queen in full ceremonial garb and make up) but to the private royal apartments.

To the trained eye, each set of doors they passed through became progressively more secure, and there were more guards here.

They reached a final set of doors, two guards on either side. And another Handmaiden, hood up, stood in front of the doors.

Panaka made eye contact with one of the guards at the door – his wife – and he could have sworn there was a smirk in her eyes (if none on her stoic face), something you learned to recognize in your partner after having been married for years. He fought the urge to roll his eyes.

“I leave you with the Queen’s personal guard.” And he took his leave.

Though her eyes were concealed by the hood of the cloak, he felt them bore into his back until he’d left through the previous set of doors.

If this was strange to any of the guests, Qui-Gon didn’t give any of it away. For their parts, all that was abnormal was lost on the Skywalkers. Anakin’s neck was surely going to get sore from the way he kept whipping around to stare at everything – the whole walk he’d been a chatter box, exclaiming at everything, and even a few times his mother had to pull him back from the view at a window. There was just so much water and green to look at.

As it was, the Handmaiden did not turn to push open the last set of doors until Captain Panaka had completely left.

Then, for the first time, a smile crossed the girl’s face, and she turned to push open the large doors. She led the small party into the personal sitting room of the Queen of Naboo.

“It is my pleasure,” the Handmaiden said, “to introduce Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo.”

Directly in front of the door, a few paces in, Padme sat stately in a chair, surrounded by four other Handmaidens, all of whom were dressed in the same grey gowns and deep red cloaks with their hoods pulled up.

Padme was dressed far differently. No identity concealing make-up. Her hair was done up simply. She was dressing in a simple purple dress that was fit for a queen but lacked the pomp and ceremony of her usual wardrobe. She was here to receive friends, not hold court.

She wore a small smile on her face that blossomed into a full grin by the time her Handmaiden was done introducing her. And she rose to her feet to approach her guests to give each of them a hug.

Re: The Queen of Naboo

[neverjedi]

Obi-Wan's demeanor was closer to Qui-Gon's than to that of the Skywalkers. He would have hated to admit that but he reverted back to something that was quieter, more subdued and... formal to avoid showing an overt amount of emotion.

That for him it had as much to do with his history as a slave than anything Jedi was something he was unaware of. Certainly he could not have recognized or admitted to doing such.

Either way he stayed put and quiet while they were led, introduced, and hugged. His eyebrows were up a bit, but that grin...


He simply laughed, quietly and with warmth and a bit of ruefulness.

" I wish I could claim that I am not surprised but I am. I am also grateful. Thank you."

Sorry this took so long - today I'm feeling the RP groove

[justasmallfry]

Padme was almost tackled by an excited Anakin, followed by apologies from Shmi, to which Padme waved off. She was ecstatic to see the friends she'd made on Tatooine, who'd gone out of their way to help her - and through her, her people as well - and who she'd now been able to help in return. She could handle an over-excited Anakin.

She gave him and Shmi hugs but was attuned to Master Jinn's demeanor, she was afraid the man might die if she tried to give him a hug for fulfilling the task of escorting the Skywalkers and Obi-Wan.

And Obi-Wan- oh he radiated the same energy as Master Jinn, but Padme was smart enough, educated enough about the two men's history to know to not make that comparison out loud.

"Obi-Wan," she said, still grinning but maintaining a respectful- non-about-to-hug distance between them. "I'm so glad you came, too." Coming to Naboo had been entirely optional once their freedom had been squared away. Obi-Wan could have chosen not to go anywhere.

She then told them all that she understood how long the trip had been and that they'd be shown to their rooms so they could rest after such a long flight. Anakin, of course, objected, but Padme assured him that they would have time the following day to see each other.

The following day, after everyone had a chance to rest and catch their breath from traveling, Padme invited the Skywalkers and Obi-Wan to dinner with her handmaidens. She made introductions, and three handmaidens quickly engaged the Skywalkers (according to plan, because Padme wanted to talk with Obi-Wan and she knew how much Anakin could dominate a conversation - with him deeply engaged in telling Eritae and Yane all about podracing, while Rabe had Shmi's attention - Padme was free to grab Obi-Wan's ear, figuratively).

"I hope travel here was not overtaxing and you were able to get some rest last night," she started as the food was being served.


[OOC: Sorry if I rushed things here, but this seemed like the kindest way of this playing out and Padme would have picked doing that.]