Author's Note:

Updating two chapters at once because the previous one is short. Just making sure that no one misses that.

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Sort

Low profile? What low profile?

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If Anakin knew what the future had in store for them, he wouldn't be so enthusiastic in wishing that there was something substantial to distract Tom and alleviate his boredom. There is that well-known saying, after all, be careful with what you wish for.

It might just be granted.

'-

Tom had been trying to ignore the blue girl beside him for some time and just focused on the crate of purple fruit in front of him. The way her tentacles moved independently of her hands and swayed to some nonexistent wind to her occasional humming still unnerved him. He'd never thought he'd admit this, but now he found that he'd be in a better shape interacting with muggles any time of the year than her species.

But when she moved yet another good fruit into the bad pile it was worse than a slight discomfort from unfamiliarity. Someone was blatantly incorrect right under his nose. His hand twitched and he gripped hers before he knew it. He did try to ignore her. Really. After that, though, it was only a matter of interfering properly.

"You're doing it wrong." His voice dripped with annoyance and he shook his head. "This isn't supposed to be here—it's not bruised nor is it discoloured. A bit soft at a spot or another, yes, but that only meant that it has to be eaten immediately. It could be served at the main table today and it would still be alright."

Let it never be said that Tom Riddle ever stopped being a swot after graduating from Hogwarts. Voldemort, for one, had low tolerance for incompetence. Being reborn as Tamlin Skywalker had not cured him out of that tendency either. The blue girl (no, he did not remember her name and didn't feel it was important for him to even find out) stared at him with a wide-eyed uncertainty.

"It's not wrong," she managed to squeak out. He narrowed his eyes and she took a frightened step back.

"Are you saying that I'm wrong?"

"It's for everyone!" She squeaked again.

He rolled his eyes, hands folded in front of his chest. Did she think she could outthink him? His minions might be just as stupid as other kids, but at least they always followed his orders.

"You think no one will check your work? If anything goes amiss, it's Elie that's getting caned, not you. That's why she'd take a look at your pile and see all the mistakes and decide that you can't sort, not now." He said, with a bored tone of voice. "All you'd manage to do is to get yourself out of sorting tasks—and that means you won't get anymore fruits as your payment."

The girl apparently hadn't thought that far, as she scrambled to pick the better fruits away from the bad pile. Anakin had noticed the small altercation from his place where he was charged with sorting grains, and had ambled over to hs twin check. He sent a mental tap to Tom's shields and waited for his twin to ease some of them down.

Anything wrong?

Tom rubbed the bridge of his nose. She just tried to smuggle some good fruits into the reject pile.

Anakin winced. He knew the consequences of that better than Tom, what with his first-hand experience with it. After all, he was the one who'd told his brother at the beginning.

"Calm down. You'd bruise more fruits that way," Anakin settled himself between Tom and the girl. "I'll help you go through it faster."

"Don't you have your own work?" Tom asked. The blond shrugged.

"It's done."

His reply was absentminded as he turned the fruits he was holding in his hands. Tom went back to his pile. There wasn't that much left anyway that it was done quite soon and he was left to just sit around and twiddle his thumbs. He glanced at his brother, still preoccupied with the blue girl's pile (They're twi'lek, Anakin corrected when he overheard Tom's thoughts, and Tom gave him a careless mental shrug of yes, whatever).

After a while doing nothing and feel boredom starting to sink its dull claws into his head and Tom pressed the palm of his hands into his eyes. Two of the kitchen staff a little farther on was getting nasty talking about a third girl they considered as 'easy', probably just because she was better endowed than them, Tom thought with a scoff. It was only a step above the two grocery deliverymen who were talking about someone who was easy, and the odds of getting her to agree to a threesome with another girl.

Not until you earn a lot more than you do now, idiots, he thought, grumpily. She might be easy, but she's not stupid.

He wished they would shut up because their screeches and voices were too loud for him to stop noticing. Merlin forbid, at this rate he was going to remember every bloody detail of the little sordid lives of all the brainless idiots around them. He gritted his teeth. He muttered something in Latin about his not wanting to let life screw him as relentless and hard as Caesar's boytoys would pound Caesar. What did he do to deserve this again? Oh yes, being a dark lord in his previous life.

How did I ever forget that? He thought dryly.

He could hear Anakin's mental laughter over his choice of words, impressed as well as amused. His currently wide-open mental bond with Anakin probably made his Latin language skill accessible to his sibling, but he was too occupied to care about shielding himself (he still needed to access Huttese, after all, before he learned the damned language properly).

He dragged himself over next to his brother. Anything was better than the mindless gossip. Anything.

"I thought you were never coming over, Tamlin." Anakin's grin had got to be too wide to be comfortable. He rolled his eyes, ignored his brother and fixed a gimlet stare at the girl instead. His voice was pointed.

"I'm helping you this once only. Do not think this will be a habit, do you hear me? I see that you're still sorting some of the fruits wrong, so I'll show you how it's done properly. Now pay attention."

Anakin really could not complain about the state of Tom's mood. He was always much more chipper when he could Crucio someone—just because he understood why he needed to avoid it as much as humanly possible does not mean it wasn't as pleasant as getting splinched mid-apparation. It was perfectly normal if he was an arse without it.

Was it possible he was going through Crucio withdrawals? Hmm, no one had ever noted that before. Bears investigating once he gets back to Hogwarts.

'-

The first rule of any bureaucracy and army was simple. Don't volunteer for anything and keep your head down.

That way, you'd avoid getting more trouble shoved and piled over your heads than you can shovel yourself out of. Anakin was quite aware of it, thank you, as he'd been a part of the Republic army and the Imperial one after that. He'd never be caught dead volunteering anything to Sidious. He may offer some humble advice and suggestions, or might provide a list of possible alternatives and actions, but he would not offer a single outright working plan most of the time. If anything fell apart after that, it secured him from direct blame and the non-enviable personal question-and-answer session with the Emperor. Anakin knew this.

…well, he thought he did, at any rate.

Elie had came over again to check the work assigned to the children, beginning with the blue Twi'lek girl and she was very satisfied with how it turned out. "This is good work. You've gotten better, Mimuna."

Of course, the little girl just had to turn to the Skywalker twins at the words, eyes sparkling with gratitude to their mutual unease, making the curious Elie follow her glance to the boys. "Did they help you?"

"Yes." She said with a vigorous nod. "They helped everyone."

Tom was sending him alarmed looks. Everyone? What did she mean everyone? But you've only just helped the Mumu… Mimi something girl?

Mimuna, he corrected, frowning. And I might've… helped some others before I came to you.

There was a loud huff from the black-haired twin in real space, and a slap that sounded like a palm meeting a forehead. You did not just help everyone, right? Tell me you didn't. Please.

I was bored! Anakin said, a tad defensive.

Famous last words, Tom muttered, but Anakin continued on.

Don't pretend like you don't use the exact same excuse for pulling weird poodoo. Besides, you were the ones that got us friends, remember?

Minions—

—and they asked me for help when they get confused. Anyway, it's easier than fixing an engine crapped out due to atmospheric reentry. All I needed to do was give them a few pointers and maybe check back once in a while—

Tom pulled his elbow. When Anakin looked around, all the other kids were looking their way. Not just in the sense of pointing-in-that-direction, but also that wide-eyed, star-struck hero worship look. Anakin could probably still identify that look from one light minute away, in a spaceship.

"They help'd us too!" the Isha, the small, cute little girl they helped some days before. A familiar Saurin boy some distance away nodded—wait, what was his name, again? Other kids were also nodding along and clamoring.

Anakin cursed in his head.

Twelve stablefulls of bantha poodoo and I still forget the first rule in the army—

"I didn't know you were such helpful boys!" Elie said, delighted.

It was surprising to see the speed the small female could move with, as she was suddenly in front of the twins already. "You deserve a promotion. Let me tell you a little secret; if you keep being this good, you'd be a majordomo one day! The big guy above everyone else! The right hand man!"

Because of course I've always wanted to be a slave the rest of my life, Tom said, his thoughts as bland as his actual expression. Anakin sighed. He knew where she was coming from, but he'd be lying if he said the words didn't grate. After all these years, the insinuations that he was always under someone's beck and call could still rile him. Maybe because even Vader was never a free man either.

Let me handle this. It's probably just a more complex task given to us. Something like running errands or assisting other servants—

Slaves—

—I know what I meant,Tom. He answered, baring mental teeth at that just to show his sibling how deep his old rage about his childhood still ran. He didn't need any reminders. It was a good thing that Tom picked up enough to understand and backed away from the topic.

"…we always have to help each other because we only have each other. It's nice to see that you've understood that already…" Elie said, still gushing at them. He'd been too busy talking mentally that he'd missed whatever else she had been going on about. Anakin saw his brother pinching the bridge of his nose. His shoulders were tense.

Yes, please handle this. Her chatter is making me want to throw her down a well, just so I won't have to ever hear anything about it again anymore.

You can't even overpower her. Anakin pointed out.

Doesn't stop me from having the urge to try.

"I'm so proud of you two!" Elie said.

"Thanks, Elie," Anakin replied, easily. Tom followed suit.

"Yes, thank you."

Tom was smiling at her at this point, a tad too wide and sharp. It got her to take an unconscious step back, an awkward smile on her face. Anakin snorted—he could feel the chill Tom radiated through their link. He elbowed his brother.

Tom snapped his head to him. What?

Don't smile when you don't mean it. You're just going to creep people out.

It earned him a look, but Anakin matched that easily. Tom's expression changed into barely-hidden grumpiness that was more sulky than sullen on their young faces, but Anakin didn't care. He noticed that Elie had relaxed. At least his twin stopped doing that half-baked imitation of what he thought a nice and harmless kid should look like. The only thing it made obvious was how he wasn't exactly nice or harmless.

Fortunately, Elie perked up very easily. She clapped her hands together and drew everyone's attention once more.

"Errr, right. Okay. Well. Oooh, I almost forgot! I never thought I'll say this to any of you younglings, but Anakin and Tamlin have proved me wrong. You're responsible. You're good at helping other people. Now, you know that we're having a party in a month's time, right?"

The kids around them sported various expressions, from confusion to acknowledgment. Neither Skywalkers knew what they were talking about. Their habit of tuning people out when they got bored (especially over long-winded speeches) was biting them in the backside now.

What is she talking about? Tom asked.

I have no idea.

Elie turned to them again. In fact, she kneeled in front of them to reduce the height difference. She placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "I'm recommending you to be servers in the party, even if they don't usually think younger kids can be trusted. I just know you'd do well."

Mimuna's eyes widened. "They get uniforms?"

Elie nodded. "Uh huh. They'd get uniforms. And bonuses. It comes with the uniforms."

"Wow," she breathed out.

All the other kids turned to them with varying degrees of wonder, and the best expression Anakin could give them was a grin and an awkward wave. Tom had his hands in his pockets and that too-blank face he used when he had no idea what sort of emotion was expected from him. Elie laughed and took their confusion in a completely different direction.

"Oh, come on. Say something! I know it's such an honour, but it's alright to share your excitement with your friends!"

He didn't have to see to know that Tom was staring back at her with incredulity.

Anakin cleared his throat, "Um, yay?"

He elbowed Tom, who elbowed him back with not a little annoyance. "Thanks?"

Within a moment they were mobbed by squealing and screeching kids, alternately congratulating them and telling them stories about older siblings or older kids who'd managed to be 'in uniform' and how much better that was for them, et cetera, ad nauseum. Tom's mental voice was deceptively mild when he spoke up again in his mind, though his force-presence was certainly… prickly.

Anakin, what on earth had we just gotten into?

Anakin shrugged. I have no idea.

'-

Apparently, the young Anakin and Tamlin Skywalker should feel honoured that they were part of the small group of children and adolescents chosen to serve at an upcoming banquet held by Gardulla the Hutt for the various minor crime bosses under her (glorified errand boys, Tom had said, and Anakin didn't disagree). Their now lofty-er position entitled them livery.

They had to hold back their breath when Elie unveiled the uniform to them because she was clearly waiting for a grand reaction. Tom had nodded his thanks and quickly ushered her away with the excuse he wanted to try it on. Anakin didn't argue with him and did the exact same time, assisting his twin into a closet.

Of course the colours in it followed the the visible spectrums of Hutt sight, coordinated in a way the aesthetics of combinations and patterns developed in their culture.

Tom labelled it as psycho paint plant escapee, and Anakin admitted he'd always thought of it as Dewback vomit camo. Tom couldn't stop laughing for a whole minute and Anakin didn't fare any better.

It took a while before they calmed themselves enough to wear it and joined the other kids gathered for the dress rehearsal. Everyone else looked so proud wearing their uniform that Anakin's couldn't help the mental chuckles building yet again. He knew Tom bit his lip to stop himself from giving in to the urge, and maybe holding his breath, if the puce-like tinge of his face was any indication—he'd given Anakin a mind shove for starting the hysterics again. It only made Anakin snicker.

When Ta'krul Has Dal, protocol master and Saurin in charge of the children (to be honest, to keep his fussiness out of everyone else's hair) gave them a warning glare, Anakin and Tom only gave stared back with matching looks of innocence.

"Pay attention! You have no one to blame but yourself if you get punished for being careless!"

A chorus of sirs, yes sirs and the like filled the air immediately, with the twins following in perfect step with everyone else with just the amount of expected enthusiasm. Anakin could almost see old man Ta'krul's puff of annoyed breath as he failed to catch them on anything and turned his attention back to the group as a whole as he started explaining to everyone how the banquet was going to go on.

I can get used being a child again, Tom mused aloud in his head. Anakin smirked. Yeah, definitely.

'-

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