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AS THE AFTERNOON sun began to sink towards the horizon and drowned the lake country in hues of pink and gold, the unlikely trio began to pack up and head home. Anakin, simpering for the senator as always, carried the basket and supplies on the way back, as Padme easily led the way and Araminta brought up the rear.
The assassin's social battery was almost done, drained from a day of constantly bullying Anakin and shooting Padme sly smiles just to piss the padawan off, all while acting like she even had the right to laugh and hang out with them. Never in her life had she done so little in a day– something without any sort of achievement. Having a picnic did not count as protecting the senator, Araminta told herself.
"I used to come here all the time as a kid," Padme spoke up from the front. "We used to try and guess the different bird calls, and picked bunches of flowers for our mothers," she said, wistfully. "And we would swim beneath the sunsets before finding shapes in the stars."
Araminta hummed something in acknowledgement as she trekked downhill, surrounded by rushing water as they headed for the docks to take them home.
"That sounds amazing," Anakin murmured.
"What was life at the Temple like?" Padme asked.
"Nothing like that," the padawan replied after a moment. Araminta eyed the back of his head, sensing the shift in his tone, the hesitance. Padme, wisely, didn't go on to ask about Araminta's childhood. "Why didn't we go swimming today?" Anakin then asked.
Padme laughed, a radiant sound, and Anakin's cheeks turned pink. Araminta rolled her eyes– at both the reaction and knowing why the teenage boy asked such a question.
"What? What's so funny?" Anakin asked.
"Nothing," Padme said, shaking her head, slowing to a stop so she could look at Anakin, thus forcing Araminta to stop as well. "It's just– well– I didn't know if you could swim."
"I'm a Jedi," Anakin said in exasperation.
"So you automatically know everything?" Araminta said, snidely.
"What? No– that's not what I meant," Anakin snipped. "But, of course I can swim!"
"Oh, I'm so glad," Araminta deadpanned.
"Can you swim?" Anakin asked, indignantly.
"I could kill you five different ways with a spoon– of course, yes I can swim."
Almost as soon as the words had left her mouth, Anakin moved forward, and attempted to shove her into the body of water closest to them. Araminta's reflexes caught her and she moved out of his hold and ducked away from him, glaring daggers at the back of his neck. He turned to her with a wicked smirk, looking years younger than he normally did.
