Leia stepped out of the gala and onto the cool, secluded balcony. There were almost surely any variety of bugs in the plants around here, but it's not like she had anything meaningful to say. All she needed right now was an escape. The room was stifling, the conversation mind-numbing, and Mara certainly was too busy to provide good conversation.

Leia knew the realities of the Imperial court. She knew what it was to be a young woman seeking political influence. Sometimes, you had to trade autonomy for authority. Leia was lucky enough to have the influence she did as a senator. For Mara, lacking a title or official role, it had to be worse. There was nothing Leia could do until the Moff got bored of his unwilling dance partner.

She sighed and leaned against the stone railing of the balcony. It seemed like every year, there were more and more excuses to hold galas and balls, and fewer and fewer days spent actually in session. There was only so much she could change from within the system, and that was decreasing every day. Soon, the day for open rebellion would come. She hoped Mara wouldn't get caught in the crossfire.

The sky was glowing orange. Back home, this would be a sign of snow. Here, it was one sign among many of corruption. The Empire didn't care about whether its business partners polluted, it cared about whether they were profitable. The orange sky was a constant, here.

Leia tried to keep her face neutral as she saw Mara bring the Moff a drink. The Moff took a sip and dragged Mara onto his lap. Leia's mask cracked a little bit more. The Moff tugged at his collar and took another drink. Mara patted his shoulder and looked at Leia through the window. Leia blew a kiss. Mara rolled her eyes.

On a night like this, no stars were visible. She'd heard a rumor that at some of the poorer places onplanet, places that hadn't had power since the Clone Wars, you could see the stars. Not having an open sky above her felt claustrophobic. But maybe that was just the towering Senate Building behind her. Something was definitely making her feel--

"Boo."

Leia whipped around to face -- Mara. It was Mara. "You snuck up on me!"

Mara hid a smile. "Good. That is what I was trying to do,"

"I thought you'd never get away from him. I thought I'd just be out here on my lonesome, in this horrible cold," Leia joked.

"I think the Imperial Center air would get to you first," Mara quipped. "There is a reason we're the only ones out here." Mara leaned in.

"Lovely sky we have tonight," she said, hopping up onto the stone wall behind her. Mara's eyes widened. "Don't worry. I know you'll catch me."

Mara made a face. "The sky does look like this every night, you know," Mara replied.

Leia sighed. "I know. I just love the color. It looks almost like a..." she paused. "Tonight, it looks like a Corusca gem."

Mara froze. She took Leia's hands into her own. "Be careful, Senator. You're flirting with treason."

"Is that what I'm doing?" Leia asked as she leaned in. Some hair had slipped loose from Mara's bun. Leia pushed it behind her ear.

Mara bent down and kissed her cheek. "Be careful. This is the last gala I'll be coming to. I have... other duties, now." She turned to go back inside.

"Wait! Wait." Leia hopped off the railing and pulled Mara down into a kiss. "You be careful too."

Mara nodded and went back inside. Leia followed her.

Tomorrow, they'd be different people. They'd be on opposite sides of the war, if Mara even fought in it. Tonight, they could pretend.