"Honey?" Master A'me Oen asked as she surveyed Juli's outfit, "Is that really appropriate?" Juli looked down at her outfit surprised, the green top set off her hair and skin and the gold shimmer of the pants complimented her top. Juli flicked her hair over her shoulder and frowned. "It's okay isn't it?" Juli asked doing a twirl. "Honey? Who are you going out with?" Master A'me asked her delicate eyebrows raised. "Xani and Barin, they are only friends." Juli said and then added under her breathe, "If you could call them that." "Friends?" A'me asked, "Honey, you may go around looking like a tramp for your friends but I certainly would not. Anyway it doesn't do anything to make you hips look smaller and you know that is the area of your body you should be working on." Juli raised an eyebrow but didn't meet her Master's gaze. No matter what she tried to do to appease Master A'me it didn't work. The Jedi Master always found some why of putting Juli down, only that Master A'me called it constructive criticism not an insult. Besides usually she was right. The gold shimmer pants did make Juli's hips look fatter. "Why don't you try your red pants and black top?" Her Master said. Juli sashayed back into her room and changed. She stood by her mirror; a birthday present from her new Master after Master Tellia left. She did look bigger around the hips. Her cheekbones were too high and her lips too small. Her thighs were too big as well. Juli cast another glance over her figure and then sighed dejectedly. It was no good, whatever she wore she would always still be fat and ugly. Juli sighed and walked briskly back into the lounge room, brushing her hair back out of her eyes. Master A'me looked at her faint disapproval sparkling in her eyes. "Well, it isn't the best, but I can't say that I didn't try." She muttered to herself but loud enough for Juli to hear. Juli smarted at the words as her face remained neutral and calm, emotions were something she hadn't shown since her days as Master Tellia's padawan. Master Tellia had always told Juli that emotions were a weakness and Juli had slowly learnt to hide them behind a wall of indifferent coldness. She raised an eyebrow Master A'me sighed again. "I don't know what to do about you Juli; you don't listen to me. No wonder Master Tellia left if you paid this much attention to her." Juli said nothing in reply as she walked towards the door, head held high. She flipped her hair over her shoulder as walked towards the lifts and the waiting figures of Xani and Barin. Master A'me was probably right again, maybe her inattention had made Master Tellia leave. "You look fabulous, Juli." Xani complimented her as she came up to them. Juli gave him a perfect smile and then cast a sneering look across at Barin. The boy smiled at her and gave one of his perfectly charming bows, seeming totally unaffected by her distaste. It was a charm Juli desperately wanted to break, her eyes narrowed and Barin smiled again. Gritting her teeth, Juli focussed back on Xanatos. The young man smiled easily and took her arm. Juli found Xani as fascinating as she found Barin annoying. The dark-haired youth combed one hand through his black hair and then smiled again at Juli the corners of his blue eyes crinkling right up and making him more handsome then usual. "How was your trip?" She asked running her fingers up and down his arm. "As most missions go, rather boring." Xani countered, "We did have one interesting moment though." Juli smiled at him to show that she was listening attentively. "We picked up another padawan. Her ship had exploded and only her and the captain of the ship escaped." The three entered the lift and Juli suddenly tightened her grip on Xani's arm. "Oh," She exclaimed, "How tragic!" She shot a venomous look at Barin who was rolling his eyes at her statement. "What is the name of the fair maiden?" Barin asked. "Sara Tencourt." Xanatos replied. For a few seconds Juli could have sworn a glazed look came to the man's eyes but it disappeared before she could see it properly. Bothered by the expression, Juli listened only with half an ear to Xanatos as the three stepped out of the lift and onto the Coroscant streets. There was something in the way Xanatos described everything about Sara that made Juli uneasy. By the time Barin had hailed an air-cab and the three were high above Coruscant, Juli had made up her mind. Xanatos was meant to be hers, and no-one was going to stand in the way of that. No-one. Juli danced letting the music wash over her. She knew the young men around her were watching and she used it to her advantage using moves that she knew would make them positively drool. The only problem was that Juli only wanted to see one guy drooling after her. A guy who was currently talking to another girl on the other side of the room. A young man danced up to Juli and she danced with him looking over his shoulder occasionally to see if Xani had noticed yet. He hadn't. Annoyed Juli stormed off stage to where Barin was chatting up a petite blonde girl. The two young men often worked this way, Barin would strike up the conversation, wooing the girl and then Xanatos would take over. Apparently Barin's master didn't like him becoming 'involved' with girls. Juli was surprised the girls could actually like Barin, Xanatos she could understand but Barin was too small and weedy to be interesting. "With a face as fair and beauteous as yours, like the rising of the sun on a summer's morn..." Barin was saying. The blonde girl on his arm lapped it up and Barin kissed her hand. Juli sighed and humphed in annoyance and exasperation. Barin smiled at the girl and then turned to Juli. Juli toyed with her drink casting the occasional annoyed glance at Xanatos. "How any girl can find you interesting is beyond me." Juli muttered sipping her cocktail. "Ah, Juli, Juli! Hair black and rainbow-glitter'd as an oilslick, eyes sparkling as beetles, siren voice melodious as the cry of a desert nerf at rut." Juli's face went from surprised and flattered to blazing anger as she quickly realised just what Barin was saying. Barin's blue eyes twinkled at her but his face remained impassive. Juli's lip curled into a sneer at his cool collected charm. She drew back her hand but she managed to gain the self control not to slap him. Barin smiled like he had bested her and a stark challenge stood in his eyes as if saying that she didn't have the courage. Juli's eyes narrowed and she slapped him as hard as she could. For a few seconds she almost thought she saw a sharp look of pleasure on Barin's face, but it quickly disappeared. A thin ribbon of blood trailed from the corner of his lip. "You slapped him!" Xani said his face contorting as if trying to hide a small grin. Barin shrugged and mopped the corner of his mouth with the cuff of his shirt. "He deserved it!" Juli retorted arching her eyebrows. "Ahh, Juli 'twas nothing but a scratch." Barin snapped back. "Oh go scuttle somewhere else like the cockroach you are." Juli hissed. Xanatos looked like he was trying to contain laughter as he walked away from them out the club door. Once outside Xani paused and Juli shot another venomous look at Barin. "We should really go home." Xanatos said combing his hair out of his eyes with his fingers. "I'm sure Barin could get himself home. I mean he is a /big/ boy now." Juli said her delicate features distorted in loathing. Barin's ice-blue eyes turned cold and stony and he glared at Juli. "It's up to you, Barin." Xanatos said. There was a few minutes of silence as Barin wiped the last remnants of blood from his mouth and frowned at the bloodstains on his cuffs. "Like I said 'twas nothing but a scratch, I shall live to see yet another day." Barin said finally. "Wow! For a moment I thought you were actually thinking Barin. Now I see that that would be too much to hope for. Mind you don't give yourself a headache!" Juli said raising her eyebrows. "I was just trying to imagine you with a personality Juli, in truth I'm finding it rather hard." Barin shot back and then turned to Xanatos before continuing, he glanced between Xani and Juli and then turned to the black-haired youth who was studying them both, "Actually Xani, about going home? I have changed my mind." Xanatos nodded agreeing and signaled an air-cab. "Does it work any better?" Juli snapped. She knew Barin had just changed his opinion to show her that Xanatos still listened to him over her. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Minds should be regularly changed, or they stagnate- unfortunately, if you leave them too long it does irreparable damage," Barin replied coolly shaking his head in mock sympathy. This time Juli was not so slow to get the insult and her eyes narrowed to mere slits. "Ahhh, Juli," Barin continued, "when you stand just so in the moonlight I can almost see the poison glistening on your fangs." Juli gritted her teeth in disgust and anger and turned away. "Now children." Xani put in. The other two turned to him but Xanatos was already walking towards the air-cab. Juli hurried to take the young man's arm and pouted as she stroked the back of his hand. "I don't understand why you keep him around." She said. "He's my friend." Xani countered smoothly disengaging his arm from hers, "Maybe it would do well for you to remember that." She pouted even more as she stepped gracefully into the transport. Xani ignored her staring out the window at the passing traffic and Barin wasn't speaking either. Juli was first out of the transport when it pulled up outside the Jedi temple, she sashayed away from the two boys towards the entrance. Juli felt angry enough to hit someone. How dare Xanatos treat her like that! She was more important then Barin and besides Xani didn't have friends that didn't fulfil some purpose. She would simply have to find out what Barin's purpose was and then convince Xanatos that she could do it far better then that miserable skulking boy. Juli pouted to herself, Xani was hers and nothing was going to get in the way. Juli tried to sneak into her room quietly taking her shoes off and treading across the carpet. "Honey?" Master A'me called from the kitchen and Juli almost swore under her breathe, "I want to talk to you, honey." Master A'me added as she came into the room. Still looking elegant and fresh despite the late hour. A faint look of distaste spread across her face at Juli's sweaty clothes and her hair swinging around her face. "Honey, how many times have I told you that ladies should always appear dignified?" Master A'me asked. "Sorry." Juli muttered. "The club was hot and I couldn't help getting sweaty." "Juli!" A'me said her name sharply and Juli new she was in trouble. "What do I always say? Horses sweat, Men perspire, Ladies are merely-" "Uncomfortable." Juli finished. "Take that impertinent tone out of your voice, padawan." A'me snapped, "How dare you be insolent to me after all I have done for you? I take you as my padawan after another Master has rejected you and no wonder Master Tellia left if you treated her this way." "I'm sorry Master A'me I won't do it again." Juli said hurriedly. "Good. I forgive you, padawan." Master A'me said benignly. She hugged Juli briefly and then waved her away. "Go and get changed honey." She said smiling. Juli smiled woodenly back the shutters already dropping across her eyes and she walked briskly from the room. She showered quickly and changed into her sleeping tunic tossing her sweaty clothes into the clothes basket. She threw a caustic look at her reflection and then threw herself on the bed. Juli rolled over and stared at the ceiling, Xani had ignored her and Juli felt pained. There was a knock and then Master A'me entered sweeping in gracefully. "Anything happen tonight, honey?" She asked sitting on the edge of the bed. "Barin managed to hurt himself, again." Juli sighed, "and so now Xanatos isn't talking to me." "You poor darling." Master A'me said and Juli couldn't tell whether she was being sarcastic or not. The Jedi Master smoothed her long blonde hair away from her face and smiled to show perfectly white teeth. "You sleep well now." She finished giving Juli an awkward pat on the knee. The Jedi Master stood and swept out of the room. "Really, it is no wonder that that boy doesn't like her if she goes around dressed to make herself look ugly." Juli heard her master mutter as she closed the door leaving Juli alone in the darkness. Juli sighed, she had a growing feeling that her Master was right. She always was... |
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| So Last Season By Kit |
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