It was true, though Lady Padmé Skywalker was reluctant to admit it outright the way Lady Sabé Kenobi had just done. The two of them were covered from head to foot in pink silk, with their hair partially wrapped in silk scarves and partially falling down their backs. Their attire was fashionable here on Kulyen, where it had been designed with the wide girth of the Chikov species in mind.
"More often than not we end up looking ridiculous," Padmé reminded Sabé.
"Yes, but it's usually not this bad. Are you sure we can walk in these?"
They stood up and tried to. They had to take small steps to avoid tripping.
"Did you even want to come to this?" Sabé asked her. It went without saying that Sabé hadn't wanted to come to Kulyen. Lord Vos would be at all the official events, along with his lovematch wife and their baby boy. Sabé had not parted from her old lover on good or even peaceful terms. "It was you who talked Anakin into leaving Luke and Leia on Dantooine, wasn't it?"
"Yes; Luke wouldn't do well at this kind of thing, and Leia needs the time to prepare herself for the next review on Alderaan."
"You're really doing it, then? You're going to let the Organas adopt your daughter."
"It's what's best for her. There are too many of us on Dantooine now, even with all the planets between us. Besides," she added with a smile, "the adoption won't be done until she's an adult, so I still get to have her as my little girl."
"Then why are they reviewing her now?"
Padmé wasn't sure about the answer to that question herself. It did seem a little early. But when Leia had heard about it, she had only said, "Of course," and it had seemed to make perfect sense to her, so maybe it was something a second-generation noble like Padmé couldn't quite understand but a third-generation noble could.
"Are you ever going to have children?" she asked Sabé. It was a question she had been careful not to ask for years, because everyone asked it of Sabé, but most people had given up now, and Padmé genuinely wanted to know. She didn't ask if Sabé would ever have them with Obi-Wan; the point had been reached there where that was optional.
"Probably not," said Sabé, which was the kind of answer she could never have given to all those other people in earlier years. "So Telos will probably go to some member of Lord Jinn's clan. You should keep Leia there; it might go to her. We really do have to go out there now, don't we?"
"I'm afraid so. Lord Rwoch must be practically torturing Anakin out there."
"He needs to talk to the real ruler of Tatooine, doesn't he?"
"Yes." Who he no doubt still thought was Anakin, and it was going to be a headache convincing him otherwise. But Padmé was tired of relying on Lord Jinn to handle things with Lord Rwoch. "Stay with me today, Sabé. I'm going to need your company."
"That's what I'm here for. My last remaining purpose in life."
It was impossible to miss the anger in there. "You're bitter."
"Not towards you," Sabé assured her, and Padmé had to think she meant it. "Not anymore."