Supreme Chancellor Emil Ro's official agenda said he was taking calls from constituents in the immediate hour after lunch, but that was a bit of artful misdirection, courtesy of his assistant, Joost. It wasn't like he was slacking off, using the down hour to watch a holodrama or some other useless waste of his time. No, the meeting he had chosen to fill this timeslot with was in fact very important to the vision he had for a restored Republic. He just chose not to go public with it—yet.
The Chancellor's office was empty, save for himself and a protocol droid he'd procured to serve drinks and snacks throughout the meeting. Did Jedi like such things? Emil had certainly studied the customs and traditions of the ancient Jedi Order, but this new iteration had rules he was altogether unfamiliar with.
He wore the red vestments of his station, determined to appear every bit as regal as a Chancellor of the New Republic should; but his most important garb was the careful mask he wore. There were things he wanted out of this meeting, just as he was sure there were things the Jedi wanted in return; but he had to be careful not to reveal his hand, nor to dwell on his hopes for too long. Jedi had powers that would allow them to touch the minds of the undisciplined, and the last thing he wanted was to give away the game before any pieces were played.
Joost arrived a moment later, his brow slick with sweat. It was a sweltering day in Imperial City, and not like to cool down any time soon. He felt bad for Joost, having to run around in the unair-conditioned open.
"Chancellor," Joost said, wheezing for lack of breath. "She's here."
"Send her in," Emil replied. "And Joost?"
The aide whirled back around before he could fully flee the office.
"Do pull yourself together. Stand under an air duct or something."
The glare Joost leveled at him could have razed a forest on Kashyyyk—but he still said nothing, turning back around to hurry about his duty. A smirk settled across Emil's face. One of these days, Joost would have enough of his teasing. That would be a sad day for them both. @Valen Pelora