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Asajj was done. She was beyond done. In fact, she was seriously thinking about starting a fight just to put an end to the chaotic monotony. She restrained that impulse with no small amount of willpower, however. Not only would it have done nothing to get her off this planet faster, it would have turned a Republic-friendly world into an enemy, something they couldn't afford right now. Plus, it would have disappointed her new comrade. As much as she hated to admit that his opinion mattered, the fact was that his was the only one that did. If only for his sake, she grit her teeth and endured.
The wedding was one of the gaudiest affairs Asajj had ever witnessed. Even the parades on Naboo couldn't compare to this. Color and light swirled through the air in a dizzying whirlwind as music blared from every direction. Dancers both professional and amateur continually tried drawing her into the revelry only to find themselves alone as she slipped away. Celebrations were wonderful things, no doubt, but at this level? To Asajj it was just an excuse to act foolish and drink oneself into a stupor.
When the invitation had been extended to join the wedding as thanks, Asajj had wanted nothing more than to decline and get off-world. The mission to rescue Princess Ilanu from pirates before Separatist-allied bounty hunters did had been completed, therefore there was no reason to stick around. But Obi-Wan, always Mr. Courtesy And Friendliness, had spoken before she could protest and accepted the princess's invitation. "It will be good for an alliance between the royal family and the Republic," he'd said under his breath. "Any friends we can get now are friends we need, Asajj."
But Asajj could only take so much before she reached her breaking point. She let out a huff as she looked around for Obi-Wan, more than ready to leave this insane party and get back to the peace and quiet of the Temple. Odd how the place she had once seen as a house of hypocrisy and deceit was now a more welcome destination.
Too late she realized that she had been lumped into a group of women, the men separated on the other side of the plaza. The rational side of her mind knew that this was just some customary wedding thing, but another part screamed at her that this was some type of culling; a lifetime of violence and horror did little to dissuade that theory. She was about to reach for her lightsabers on instinct to cut her way through the crowd.
Something came hurtling at her from above. Arms shot up around her, presumably to deflect whatever missile had been thrown, but her reflexes were better than those of the women around her. She snatched the bundle out of the air as quick as lightning. Some women gave her dirty looks, but the others smiled and clapped. Confusion replaced her apprehension as congratulations were shouted her way. It only grew when she looked down at the thing she had caught: a clutch of sweet-smelling flowers wrapped in familiar paper. It was Ilanu's bouquet from the ceremony hours earlier.
The bride came hurrying towards her as the crowd fell away from her. Ilanu's arms had wrapped around Asajj before she had a chance to to stop her. Once again, she gritted her teeth and suffered through the unwanted display of affection. "I was hoping you'd be the one to catch it, Asajj!" Ilanu exclaimed.
Deciding to ignore the casual use of her given name (really, they'd interacted for less than three combined minutes and the girl thought that meant they were best friends?), Asajj calmly extricated herself from the bride's crushing grip. "I don't get it," she said flatly, looking down at the flowers. "What's the point of this?"
Ilanu's large eyes went even wider, along with her seemingly-permanent smile. "It's tradition! Whoever catches the bouquet is the next to get married!"
Everything went silent in that moment. Even thought stopped for Asajj. Then she turned and flung the bundle into the crowd of females that hadn't yet gone on their way. "Oops. That slipped right out of my hand." She wiped her hands on her skirt as if there were some filthy residue left over from the bouquet (there was none) and turned away from the melee that looked more like grappling contest than anything else. A quick, curt farewell to the princess, who looked too stunned to say anything, and Asajj walked away...
...right into Obi-Wan. She hurriedly pushed away from him and opened her mouth to vent her frustrations with this whole ordeal, but the strange look he was giving her stopped the words in her throat. There was a faint smile on his face and a kind of intensity in his eyes that surprised her. He'd left her alone to deal with this chaos only to show up with a look like he knew some grand secret she didn't and he wasn't up to sharing?
A moment passed and he still hadn't moved or said anything. Irritation of another kind replaced her surprise. "What?" she snapped.
Obi-Wan shook his head quickly, but his smile only widened. He was starting to creep her out. "Nothing," he said finally. "Just thinking."
Something about the way he said those three words threw her off-balance. Whatever the reason, it wasn't worth making a scene. "Think on your own time, Kenobi. Are we done here yet?"
Her clipped tone didn't have the least bit effect on him. Damn it. "I've already spoken with the king and the groom – they both can't thank you enough, by the way – so yes, I suppose we're done." A beat. "Unless..."
Asajj narrowed her eyes at him. She knew when he was up to something. "What?"
The one step he took brought him almost too close for comfort. Her pride refused to let her step back, though. "Well, it might be considered rude to not follow through on tradition."
Sudden heat flooded Asajj's face. He'd heard the princess a few minutes ago. Again: damn it. Ugh, whatever. She wasn't in the mood to be mocked, least of all by him. Pushing past him with more force than necessary, she grumbled, "Let's just go."
Obi-Wan watched her for a moment before following her out of the plaza and back to their ship. He'd meant for his comment to be teasing, and it looked like it had worked, but once he'd said it he couldn't help but wonder: what would Asajj look like as a bride?
Although the plethora of mental images that accompanied that thought were of a most interesting (and enticing) nature, he decided he rather liked having his head on his shoulders, so he didn't dare share them with his prickly companion. He'd keep them tucked away in his memory for later exploration, however.