Padawan Barriss Offee sat cross legged in one of the many meditation rooms scattered throughout the Jedi temple. A small, circular room with a soft padded floor and windows surrounding the room's entirety. Even in the dead of night, Corusant was a brightly lit maze of neon drenched skyscrapers. She could just make out large groups of aliens still making their way through the planet's streets. It was a sight that she'd grown rather used to over the countless hours spent in this room; what first felt overwhelming and annoying was now a pleasant, weirdly calming sight that did wonders in helping her meditate.

After a few minutes of taking it all in, she finally closed her eyes. It took a matter of seconds for a familiar presence - close and getting closer by the second - to bring a wide smile to her lips.

'Ahsoka,' she thought. 'Hopefully her and Skywalker were able to save that Togruta colony. Ahsoka had seemed rather distressed to see her people captured so easily.' Barriss shook the thoughts free from her head and concentrated once more, only to find herself confused when she suddenly lost track of Ahsoka's presence. It was with a sudden jolt that she realized it was now coming from directly underneath her.

Surely, if something had happened, Master Unduli would have informed her. It wasn't like Ahsoka to interrupt another Jedi's meditation for no reason; something had to be wrong.

A few times, after their first meeting on Geonosis, Ahsoka had come to her for advice. However, even that seemed an unlikely reason for her friend to be searching for her now. Coming back from a mission, she would have had at least a few hours alone with her master to answer any lingering questions. With that thought, Barriss' confusion increased, so much so that she found her body slowly lowering to the floor as the elevator doors opened behind her. Without turning around, Barriss felt Ahsoka take a few steps into the room, remaining silent as she listened to the elevator make its way back down the temple.

A few minutes went by in that fashion. Over that time, Barriss started to assume that Ahsoka had come up to meditate. It wasn't the strongest possibility, given her friend's usual demeanor, but it was one of the few that would excuse Ahsoka interrupting her own meditation. However, as time went on without Ahsoka even attempting to sit down, it became clear that she had no idea why her friend was here.

"Ahsoka..." she said softy, hoping that her tone didn't come off as too annoyed. She wasn't particularly happy that someone had interrupted such a crucial part of her day, but if somebody had to do this, she was at least glad that it was Ahsoka.

"Barriss..." Ahsoka replied. "I hate to kill the moment, but are you gonna turn around anytime soon?"

A short sigh escaped Barriss' lips. She knew Ahsoka well enough to know that asking her to leave and come back later would be a waste of time. When that girl had her mind set on something, she could be surprisingly stubborn about seeing it through to the end. Keeping that thought in mind, she reluctantly spun around before opening her eyes.

"Yes. What is-?" was all she got out before the sight ahead stole her ability to speak.

As she'd sensed before, Ahsoka was standing behind her, a few steps away from the exact center of the room. Why she'd been asked to turn around became immediately apparent.

Gone was the usual Jedi garb Ahsoka usually wore. Instead, her chest was somewhat covered by a light blue top with a neck that curved to one side and cut off just above her bare stomach. On her waist, a matching skirt that perfectly clung to the girl's slender frame. The entire outfit was also outfitted with pieces of intricately designed jewelry, the largest of which was a golden headpiece attached to her lekku. Everything about the outfit came together in a breathtaking way that gave off the unmistakable air of royalty.

By the time Barriss finally thought to meet Ahsoka's eyes, a quick shiver passed through her upon receiving a look sharp enough to cut through the air between them. She couldn't quite place the intent behind such a look, but it wasn't coming off as something she should take in a negative light.

Barriss felt a knot quickly form inside her stomach. She tried her best not to stare too much as she rose to her feet and respectfully bowed to her friend. "That's..." she barely managed before having to cough awkwardly a few times. "It's...certainly an interesting outfit. Was that part of your last mission?"

Ahsoka nodded. "Yep."

Her reply was as short as it was snappy. Barriss raised an eyebrow. Had she said something wrong? Perhaps Ahsoka had hoped for a different reaction from her?

Not wanting to make things too awkward, she decided to try and keep the conversation going. "So, the mission went well then?"

"Well enough," Ahsoka said flatly. "Not exactly how it was planned out, but things always come to an end one way or another. Did I miss anything interesting here?"

Barriss shrugged, comforted by the fact that she could now sense calmness in her friend's voice. "I'm...not sure, to be completely honest. I've been up here for quite some time. Ahsoka, not to be rude, but is there something you wanted? You're acting...somewhat strange."

Another short silence followed before Ahsoka walked past Barriss. Their eyes met for a split second before Ahsoka looked away. The girl continued forward until reaching the window overlooking the city. "Sorry," Ahsoka finally answered. "I didn't mean to intrude, it's just been...an intense couple of days. I just felt like...I don't know...like I wanted to see you. Your presence is always so...Ya know what, never mind."

For a moment, Barriss watched Ahsoka's reflection in the window. "No. No. Go ahead." Using every bit of self control she had, Barriss took a few tentative steps forward and stood beside Ahsoka. She had no idea what was going on right now, but it was obvious that Ahsoka had something that she wanted to say.

Several minutes passed as they stood side by side in complete silence. Barriss' eyes began following a dazzling trail of smoke left by a few speeders as they passed by just outside the temple.

"Soothing..." Ahsoka said, so softly that Barriss needed a moment to confirm to herself what she'd just heard.

Another jolt shot through her as she watched Ahsoka's reflection turn to face her own. Her lips parted slightly at the sight of Ahsoka's right hand slowly raising. Five slender, soft fingers grazed her left cheek and gently turned her to face Ahsoka. This time, Ahsoka made no attempt to look away as their eyes met.

Barriss' breathing slowed to a crawl. Mere inches separated Ahsoka's face from her own. As much as she tried to fight it, she soon found her gaze drifting downward.

"Wow," Barriss spoke without thinking, silently hoping that her tone was far too breathy for Ahsoka to understand it. "You really do look amazing right now."

A sly grin was Ahsoka's first response. "Now, you say that," the girl replied sheepishly, "but you've only been looking at my lips for over a minute now."

For the first time in her life, Barriss found herself at a complete loss for words. "Well, I-I just..." she started, but her feeble attempt at a response quickly morphed into an incomprehensible mess.

"Shush." Ahsoka said only the single word, but did so incredibly slowly. At first, Barriss thought she'd offended her friend, but the truth behind her actions quickly became clear. While speaking the word, Ahsoka puckered her large, brown lips, further decreasing the space between their faces.

Barriss tried to look away, but her face was instantly pulled back by Ahsoka's hand.

"It's okay," Ahsoka said, her tone still playful. "I like yours, too."

Before Barriss could react, Ahsoka's hand lowered just enough for the girl's thumb to lightly brush against her bottom lip. Barriss felt her body go stiff. Just the simple act of Ahsoka's thumb grazing her lips sent a powerful chill through her body.

"Heh," Ahsoka said alongside a quick breath. "That's a very not-Barriss kind of reaction. Does it really feel that good?"

Still unable to speak, all Barriss could do was think about Ahsoka's question. As a Jedi in training, she wasn't used to such tender physical contact, but it wasn't just that - it couldn't be. Aside from the touching itself, everything about Ahsoka at this very moment was getting a physical reaction out of her.

Ahsoka's light, rhythmic breathing, hitting the nape of her neck was giving her goosebumps. The sight of Ahsoka's stomach being visible around the delicate fabrics of her clothing was a constant struggle to not look at. Not to mention Ahsoka's strong, passionate gaze, which had yet to waver for even a second, and easily made her cheeks begin to feel warm.

"Ahsoka..." the word barely escaped Barriss' lips. Her heart pounding relentlessly against her chest, she placed a hand on Ahsoka's stomach. The feel of Ahsoka's smooth skin on her palm caused her to momentarily forget what she'd planned to say. "We...we can't do-"

Before she could finish, Ahsoka leaned in just a bit closer. With no time to react, Barriss stopped moving entirely. She didn't have to look down to know what was happening. The soft, comforting feeling that was now brushing against her parted lips could only be one thing.

"Why'd you stop talking?" Ahsoka asked, knowing full well Barriss wouldn't answer. Every word out of the girl's lips was pressing them against Barriss'. Each kiss, if they could even be called that, only lasted for a fraction of a second, but it was more than enough to send a simultaneous shiver through both girl's bodies.

Barriss could feel her eyes starting to close instinctively, and had to force them to stay open as she tried to avoid Ahsoka's gaze. She knew what she had to say in this situation - what she'd been trained to say. However, no matter how hard she fought herself, she couldn't force out a single word. Eventually, after about a full minute of silence, she gave in, knowing full well that she was making a huge mistake, and not caring in the slightest.

Neither girl closed their eyes, instead locking them as they properly shared a long, tender kiss.