Her public persona leans back as the hostess she'd been flirting with walks off to attend to her duties. Palpatine slips a flimsi card into her pocket, and snorts when one of Naboo's senatorial aides elbows her. "You're just jealous," she informs him.

(Her more private persona is less entertained, and isn't lightly tipsy from the alcohol flowing freely at the gala. There's a lot of valuable information to be gathered here. A lot of currents to get used to. Her public persona has been Naboo's ambassador-at-large only a scant two months, and already a new sort of wealth has been flowing to her. So, she drinks, and laughs, and builds friendships and connections, and keeps aware of everything around her. (Like Naboo's senator, Vidar Kim, Palpatine's mentor in politics for the last fifteen years. Like the table he's sitting at, one full of people far more politically powerful than Palpatine. Sidious tries to focus on observing, not on jealousy, but, well. Jealousy is natural.))

He sticks his tongue out at her briefly, and she rolls her eyes with a little smile.

Their laughter - the two of them, several other aides and one other young ambassador - fills the air, before Palpatine senses Senator Kim rising from his table and walking over. He shakes his head with a fond smile, making eye contact with her, and says, "Don't think I didn't see that."

She feigns innocence. It's not very effective, even for her public self. "See what?"

He raises an eyebrow. "How did I end up with a student who leave trails of conquests across the galaxy, and a son who spends his days meditating on the Force with the Jedi?" he asks with an over-dramatic sigh.

"By being a very well-rounded, worldly person," Palpatine teases him. (Sidious takes note of the mention of Ronhar. Kim doesn't often bring up his oldest child, especially lately as tension grows between him and the thought of the Jedi Order, and Plagueis has been encouraging her to find out more about the teenager. Sidious isn't sure there's all that much to find out. Ronhar had been a very boring baby, and from every scrap that's reached Kim, it sounds like he's been a boring child and now young teen. Still, Ronhar's a possible resource to tap for explanations of the light side for a certain other ally of Sidious's...)

"Come and join us at our table," Kim's saying as Palpatine turns her full attention back to him. She stands, nodding, and rises to fall in beside him. He says, then, in a low undertone: "We all know you'll be replacing me at this job. Getting into the thick of things now will benefit you later." Then, with a self-deprecating smile: "And maybe seeing a few hours of what passes for senatorial gossip will deter you from politics altogether."

"I'd hate to have to find a new career field at this point," she says back. "Perhaps I can simply hold my nose."

He tips his head. "Well, if you get bored, my daughter's always quite willing to provide an excuse to go sit outside," he says, wryly. Much of Kim's family - his wife and two younger sons - is currently traveling, and Kim's been causing some amused tittering by bringing his youngest child and only daughter to all of his senatorial business. He claims his wife hates hiring a babysitter. Palpatine's pretty sure Kim just loathes to miss out on any chance to spoil his little princess.

"Maybe I'll take her to walk around in a bit, excuse or not. Get some of that energy out," Palpatine says, with a little shrug.

"Probably why you're her favorite," Kim says, laughing - and they arrive at the table. It's larger than Palpatine's had been, with thirteen beings already seated around it. Kim's daughter, of course; four Senators (from the Gran Protectorate, Eriadu, and then Sullust and Sluis, both sectors Kim has been courting to be friendlier to Naboo's interests - or at least Kim's rather politically conservative version of those interests), each with a single aide; Darknell's ambassador to Malastare, the host of this gala, and her aide; and two members of the Black Sun syndicate, one of their nine vigos and his son. The two definitely-not-crime-lords are guests of the winners of the recent Vinta Harvest Classic podrace (which is the nominal excuse for the gala), and after Palpatine's introduced around the table, talk quickly falls into discussing the politics around podracing, and especially everything springing from the drama between the different circuits.

Palpatine seats herself beside Danni Kim with a little smile at the girl, and listens quietly to the chatter, mentally filing away every mention of Gardulla. (Sidious has a grudge, still, and a curiosity about whether her and Shmi's sabotage two months ago - just before Palpatine's appointment as ambassador, while Sidious was running errands for Plagueis - has had noticeable ripple effects yet.)