A/N: I don't want to say this chapter is filler because there is character development but it is also a means of moving the story along timeframe wise. TBH this is not edited, I just wanted to get it out there and move on considering I've rewritten this chapter several times and just don't feel like messing with it anymore. Anyway, I'm reeeally excited for the next two chapters where stuff actually starts happening. Thank you for reading! Enjoy!
Chapter 4: Routines
Without a moments' hesitation, Vader made his leave from the Senator's office the second he heard obscene thoughts cloud a familiar shameless man's half-witted mind. The Sith's skin was beginning to boil as he rolled his neck, the cracking of vertebrae crunching through his ears as he tried to control the tension spearing across his upper body. The piece of filth was thinking about his Senator the moment he stepped through the left wing entrance. An unfamiliar emotion was making Vader this way, all he knew was that he was livid due to the inability to block the deviant thoughts screaming from that man's brain. Fortunately for Vader, the Senator's preoccupied schedule would give him ample of time to deal with the imbecile who was still in pursuit of her.
Storming down the hall, the Sith Lord knew his path was on an intercept course with Rush Clovis. The bystanders parted like the sea as the Sith trekked with unbreakable purpose. When his fiery eyes caught sight of the man down the hall, it took every ounce of restraint not to rip him from his thoughts with a Force grip on his trachea. Though as he recalled how the public may react, he figured it was best to keep his anger momentarily in check so his actions would not reach Senator Amidala's ears. Tipping his head, Vader signaled the Imperial guards Sidious left behind during his trip to Naboo. His Master was off planet, meaning Vader's actions were unhindered towards the Senator from Scipio. On command, the guards broke from their place falling in formation and with one more gesture, the guards circled around Vader knowing their job was to detain the man blindly strolling towards them.
Finally…Clovis' head snapped up, breaking him from his fantasies of the Senator, "What is the meaning of this?" the man barked as the guards seized his arms. Without a word, Vader stalked forward before maneuvering towards the restricted lift that would carry them down to the bowels of the building. A twisted smirk pulled at the his lips, feeling the terror fermenting within Clovis' thoughts. Questions and fear were now the only things circulating his inferior mind as they reached the dark halls of the labyrinth. "You have no right to be doing this Vader! What is the reason for this brazen action?!" The man hollered in which he received no reply.
Reaching the interrogation block, the crimson guards jolted the man to halt. Under the darkness of his hood, Vader glowered at him, knowing there was no need the Force to deal with this pathetic excuse of a man. When the guards released his arms, Vader did not hesitate seizing Clovis by the scruff of the neck before chucking him inside the concrete cell. Bloodstains that could never be scrubbed away riddled the pavement and walls that the man bounced off of before tumbling to the ground with a clunk from his bones. Vader only watched with a cruel smile at his feeble attempt to hide the pain.
"You have no right-" Clovis began to claim in a sputter. Before he could finish, Vader stormed towards him tearing the man up by the neck to slam him into the inflexible wall. His teeth chattered from the impact, shutting him up swiftly.
"The next words to leave your vile mouth will determine whether you leave here alive," Vader informed him with a chilling emotionless tone. "Unless you truly wish to die, I suggest you keep that guttural trap shut until I permit you to speak." When he felt Clovis pitifully shiver, a sly smile broke across the Sith's shadowed face before morphing back into one void of any emotion. "Your pursuit of Padmé Amidala is over. If you so much as attempt to glance in her direction again, I will rip your eyes from their sockets before making your death anything but quick. If I decide to release you, within the hour you will forfeit any positions you hold which allow you access to speak with her professionally." Then Vader's voice became hauntingly low as he allowed his crimson irises to be seen by Clovis' fear-struck eyes, "Do you understand?"
Clovis swallowed hard around the leather grip constricting his throat before he choked out a, 'yes.' Without any regard, Vader tore open the man's mind shredding all the perverted visions of the Senator. Deranged screams belted from the man's chest as Vader tore the memories effortlessly before haphazardly piecing back together the weak mental barriers. The only reason why the Sith Lord had done such a thing was to ensure the man wasn't a vegetable leaving the cell. Once his mission was complete, Vader dropped the man to the floor in a fit of grueling pain.
"This is your only warning. If you are unfaithful to your word, I promise you, I'll be true to mine," Vader vowed chillingly before merely leaving the cell- not trusting himself enough to not kill the man. Once the door slammed closed leaving Clovis to grovel, his hood snapped towards the guards, "Take him to his office."
With that Vader simply walked away, part of him desired to kill Clovis then and there but Sidious would be displeased. He couldn't understand why his Master wanted to keep that worthless lump of flesh alive. But, Vader knew better than to disobey his Master's orders. Even if he could withstand the pain from Sidious' Force-lightning now, it was still an unpleasant experience trying to heal his skin from the gashes and burns.
The countless scars across his flesh were inflicted by Sidious himself especially when Vader was younger. On occasion, victory was not enough for Sidious- he required perfection. Darth Vader was not immune to unanticipated circumstances, a character flaw that he desperately needed to resolve if he was to one day surpass his Master. A strenuous victory was nothing to be proud of- it had to be seamless. When Vader would lose starships or men, it always needed to be a planned sacrifice. If it wasn't a foreseenloss, even if they were victorious, Sidious would torture him for hours. It had been six months since the last time his Master had done such a thing to him- Vader prided himself on attempting to be consistently perfect. However, when his Master returned from Naboo only to find Vader had allowed a Jedi aiding the Rebellion to slip through his fingers, he was certain to see disciplinary action. But the fact Sidious probably knew and his punishment had not come was disconcerting.
Moving past the inevitable, Vader stalked down the dark halls towards his office. He knew the Senator would be in meetings till noon which made his head spin considering she never ate dinner the night before… nor had breakfast that morning. She needed to eat. After not seeing her in person for months, when he'd finally laid eyes on her, she'd become even more slender than before- her dresses not as tightfitting. Even in the hot tub, her back was too boney, her spine, ribs, and shoulder blades protruding more than a healthy woman's should. It seemed the routine she'd committed herself to was a taxing one.
A deep exhale left his lips as the door to his office slid closed behind him, perhaps he could get 3PO to do something about that issue. When Vader finally planted himself at his desk, he realized his thoughts were of possible concern for her. He shook his head, no, they weren't of concern but when he ever did finally have her- he didn't want to risk accidently hurting someone so small.
Knocking the thoughts of her from his mind, he turned to the reports stacked within his personal server. Over the next several hours, he found himself reviewing surveillance tapes on various Senators that Sidious found suspect of treason. He'd required one thing when he was away on Naboo, for Vader to shuffle through the Senators who had potential ties to the Rebellion. It was obvious from his men's reconnaissance that Mon Mothma and Bail Organa were the main persons of interest. However, there still no tangible evidence to connecting them to the high crimes. Even Padmé's name had come up in certain dialogues. Vader began to wonder if Sidious selected her as a candidate for him to marry because of her possible affiliation- she was too influential to have executed.
Vader had been gone for too many months to truly understand the corruption in the Senate, he hated politics and preferred to stay on the military side of things verses spying. It was especially boring to him watching and listening to recording, he'd much rather be on the Executor doing anything else.
Force, he couldn't even touch the Senator without her tensing. It was agitating having nothing physical to do besides train… he could hypothetically go back to the Palace and spend more time with the girls he had there but he found himself not interested in the slightest. Resting back in his seat, he stared at a blank screen for a time- only glancing at the chrono ever so often to check the time for when he could finally leave. He'd finished his analysis of the tapes, knowing to report to the Emperor that the only Senators that seemed suspect were indeed the ones he had anticipated.
"Damn," he sighed perching the ankles of his boots onto the desk. He never imagined doing true desk duty- ever. He'd always been moving, doing something- tracking and eliminating Jedi, other adversaries, or strategizing battle tactics. The shit he was doing now was not in the slightest what he was trained to do, worst of all it had only been a little over a week since he returned to Imperial Center. He would have to go over three fucking months doing this. He wasn't sure whether he could ever make it that long if his Senator continued being so damn resistant. He audibly groaned even thinking about that possibility. That thought made him outraged, why would she even sleep with someone like Rush Clovis? He was sleezy, unintellectual- what could have possibly made her even contemplate being intimate with someone like him? Then again, Vader was no saint either. Clovis might be a fool but he wasn't a destructive force like the Sith Lord.
When the chrono finally hit noon, he practically jumped out of his seat- fleeing the tedious space. He was moving towards the lift heading towards the Senator's office in a heartbeat. He didn't need a reason being near her anymore. The more he was around her- the more he could work on her mental barriers, meaning the sooner she'd finally give herself to him. Trekking into the lift, he only had to wait a few moments to reach the floor of her office. The split second the doors opened, he made his way through the hidden halls before seeping into the populous ones.
When Vader strode into her office, the woman behind the desk snapped her head up with large confused eyes. He knew walking in she was deep in thought about the meetings she'd attended,but now her thoughts were moving too fast for him to decipher. He half expected her to scold him for coming in unannounced but when she all but ignored him to return back to work. He was content with moving to his place beside the door.
With the woman's mind completely engulfed with work, he discreetly began working on her mental barriers. He internally groaned, it was much easier swaying her mind the night before when she was relaxed. Now, her barriers were immensely fortified, if he inadvertently tried to alter something too deep- she could notice the sensation. Slowly scanning the walls in her mind, he was impressed with how much change he'd done- yet still she continued to resist him. He wondered if there was something deeper he could not reach without risk of hurting her that kept her from succumbing to his influence.
"Don't you have meetings?" The Senator suddenly ask, snapping Vader from his concentration. His mind hadn't been paying attention to her thoughts- he was almost jolted by the sudden question. He gave no response and a small scowl formed across her face as she realized he wasn't going to reply. "Do you really just have to stand there? You're distracting," she muttered. Again he gave no reply. With an eye roll, the woman tried to refocus on her work but she truly was distracted- her confusion and uncertainty allowing Vader to mold her barriers even more as they became weaker with uncertainty. Then it suddenly dawned on him again, the third time that day- had she eaten?
"You should eat," Vader finally announced, practically startling the woman.
"What?" She breathed, once again in disbelief because of the unusual statement from him.
"You haven't eaten since lunch yesterday," he said simply, "It is unwise to miss meals."
An unamused smile pulled at her lips as she rolled her eyes, "Again, you care because?" She wondered dragging out the last word.
"You could faint."
"I'm fine, I just need to get a few more things done then I'll go grab something," she dismissed him, staring back towards her screen.
Tightening his shoulders, Vader folded his arms across his chest at the stubbornness of this woman. He knew she was aware of her physical state yet she chose not to care. She was all but drowning herself in work, Vader understood this behavior all too well but he knew it was important to sustain himself… Ration wafers weren't the most appealing food although, they did the job of keeping him what he needed to be.
"What about you? I haven't seen you eat," she huffed suddenly, her eyes narrowing into the void of his hood. She had somehow sought out his eyes, her brown ones seemingly boring into his even if she didn't know it. Vader remained quiet, not really wanting to reply due to her tone- the last thing he needed was another argument with her quick mind. After a few moments, she sighed in annoyance and slight defeat before once again returning to her work.
Another several hours passed and Vader found himself meditating. It allowed him to get rest but stay alert at the same time. He'd only slept for two hours the night before and was finding the woman's presence soothing even if she was annoyed with him. He had to admit, she was cute when she was upset. The way her nose would scrunch slightly, the purse of her lips, the small bunching of her eyebrows- it was interesting how someone so physically slight could have such a strong character. Her snippy, assured attitude made her all the more alluring.
Tossing her heels into the corner of the closet, Padmé found herself deep in thought about her day at the Senate. They all revolved around one thing- one person, Darth Vader. She found him irritating; ignoring all her questions then for him to bring up her health again was confusing. Padmé couldn't understand why he'd even brought up something like that? He did say something about her potentially fainting- perhaps a trip to the medical center would have been an inconvenience.
With a deep sigh she shuffled out of her dress before pulling the pins from her hair. Wondering into the fresher, she flipped on the water at an attempt to wash away the grime across her body but also to rid herself of thinking about that man. He was so damn stoic, she couldn't see his face and was unable to read his intentions through facial expressions or body language. Truly he was a statue for most of the day, he literally did not move for hours.
With a deep sigh, she began scrubbing fragrant shampoo into her curls- trying to focus on the roots of her hair in attempt to rid that man from her thoughts. Why was she still thinking about him so deeply? Why was she finding herself interested in him? Possibly it was because he was a mystery and mystery always invites fascination. Recalling his low voice that he used in the lift reminded her of the day before back at her apartment. She wondered if he actually found her attractive? Was it even possible for someone like that to be interested in appearances? Rolling her eyes, she knew what he did the other day was only the act of demonstrating his power over her- a warning. Bile rose in her throat thinking about if it was anything more than that. Even if that display of authority was sickening as well- the last thing she needed was to think about him actually finding her physically attractive.
Shuttering, she tried to focus on her shower and the way the water felt across her tense muscles. It felt nice to decompress, she'd never been so physically stressed when coming home from the Senate- having him in her office like a shadow was in-a-sense nerve-wracking. The morning was seemingly normal but she wondered where he could have possibly rushed off too before her nine o'clock meeting. It almost seemed as though something triggered his movements.
After washing her body, Padmé stepped out of the walk-in shower, gathering a plush white towel in attempts to dry her body. Then she heard the sound of her bedroom door slide open, instinctively she wrapped the fabric tight over her body. Motionless, she listened for a moment before hearing the soft clatter and a moment later, the door slid closed. Tip-toeing towards the fresher door, her ear pressed against the metal in attempts to hear anything else. After feeling she waited long enough, she slipped out of the refresher and her eyes widened. Upon the coffee table in the large seating area of the room resided a tray of all different sorts of familiar food. Her head notched to the side as her eyes darted towards the door with confusion. Perhaps 3PO had brought her dinner. The previous night she'd declined, feeling unwell but now she hadn't eaten in over twenty-four hours and her stomach was churning, her mouth salivating staring at the various fruits, nuts, soups, salads, and vegetable pasta entrées. She was never one to eat meat and found it peculiar that 3PO would know such a detail about her- could he have asked Dormé?
Whatever the case, Padmé swept down the two small steps towards the sofa before slipping in front of the tray- without even thinking of changing into her nightclothes. Then she froze after chewing and swallowing a small berry, did… Vader instruct 3PO to do this? She wondered staring down at the enormous amount of food that she couldn't see herself ever finishing in one sitting. Shaking her head, she dismissed the idea- 3PO was going to bring her dinner the night before but she declined. It was rational to believe that he'd bring her something to eat tonight as well.
Settling onto the couch, her legs were folded beneath her bottom- the towel tightly wrapped around her frame as she focused on her dinner with the holoscreen on low volume in the background. Everything she tasted was incredible and when she couldn't take another bite- she rested her head on the plush leather. A holodrama she recognized was playing and after a few moments, she turned up the volume and became interested. Since the fall of the Republic, she tended to stay away from news channels or anything historical, they were nothing but perpetuators of propaganda now.
Once the episode ended, she went off to dress for bed. Slipping into a white silk long-sleeved nightgown, her door opened unexpectedly. Feeling just a tad exposed, she froze, until relief washed over her to see that it was 3PO.
"I'm sorry to disturb you my lady, I am just here to gather laundry and your dinner dishes," the droid chirped waddling into the room gathering the tray of mainly empty plates. "Is there anything I can get you?" He wondered with a notch of his head.
"Oh," Padmé breathed, somehow caught off guard. "If you have it- a cup of Chandrilan tea would be great," she asked hesitantly, knowing the Dark Lord of the Sith was probably not one to drink such a thing.
"Yes of course! Dormé and I bought some while we were out today. I would be most happy to steep some for you. Is there anything else?" he wondered standing in the doorway for a moment.
"No, thank you Threepio," she smiled lightly and with that the droid made his departure- cheerfully leaving her room. Relief washed through her knowing that 3PO and Dormé had spoken today. Padmé wondered if Dormé was okay with being around the droid- it was a shame she hadn't come to the Senate but nevertheless Padmé was grateful to have some familiar aspects of her life in such an unfamiliar place.
When 3PO returned, Padmé was strolling out of the fresher after finishing her nightly routine. "Thank you so much Threepio, truly," Padmé beamed as 3PO placed the metal tray holding a steaming teapot, cup and saucer onto the coffee table.
"I am more than happy to get anything you need Mistress. If there is anything else you require once I leave, don't hesitate summoning me," he chimed, before gathering her laundry hamper and waddling towards the door. "Goodnight Mistress."
"Goodnight Threepio," she smiled softly, once alone she found herself trying to wrap her head around his kindness. Vader and that droid were nothing alike in the slightest. She was thankful for his presence, 3PO was making the transition for her less traumatic than it would have been if he wasn't there. A small smile pulled at her lips heading towards the tray. Having tea was usually how she ended her nights unless she was too exhausted to spend the time making it. When it was late, she'd never require any of her handmaidens to do such menial tasks- the least Padmé could do was make a pot of tea for herself if it was past midnight. After finishing her tea, she found herself slowly drifting off into sleep nestled on the leather couch.
For the following weeks that was her life. However now, she found herself waking up early in the morning. 3PO would bring her breakfast early and an hour after she ate, Dormé would help her get ready for the Senate. Then, Vader or one of his men would escort there. Usually it was Captain Lasky, the man who'd actually inadvertently saved her that day from Vader back at her apartment. He was kind, he would smile at her, she found herself wondering how someone who was seemingly thoughtful could be so high in Vader's ranks. The thirty year old Captain answered to Vader when it came to the security of his establishments and seemingly Padmé's own security when he'd escort her to the Senate. Then Lasky would pass off her security to another, Captain Grett. He was much older, extremely rigid and a stickler for protocol and professionalism in comparison to Lasky. Not that Lasky was ever unprofessional around her, he was just less rigid regarding formalities.
When both Captain's had other duties and even when they were there,she'd always be accompanied by two black armored stormtroopers. She found their presence overkill- never did she have to deal with such a thing. Quite honestly, her favorite days were when Vader would escort her himself. It was mainly because the lack of complexity involving shifting guards and the protocols that had to be followed when she was placed into the custody of another.
It was just her and Vader on those days. Everything was much more simple. They hardly spoke to one another over those next two weeks, but when they did- he was cryptic and she was partially indifferent. However, there were still times when he'd whisper something smoothly in her ear or touch her arm gently and the warm feelings that would follow only grew stronger for Padmé. After her day at the Senate, they'd return to his establishments and she'd head off to do her thing and Vader did whatever someone like him does.
There were only two things that troubled her over those weeks, one was that she'd learned Clovis had recused himself from every committee they were involved in together. Padmé had even called him to ask why he'd do such a thing but he never answered or even called her back. A week after the announcement of him stepping down from those positions, she tried to find a way to speak with him in person but with her new security situation- she knew it wouldn't be the best to speak with him. She found it odd he would suddenly give up all of his responsibility and completely block her out- was what she said that divisive?
The next situation that she'd yet to maneuver around was her communication with Bail and Mon. She hadn't tried to speak with them or contact them in the hopes to keep them safe- but luckily she'd seem them in the halls, their eyes always concerned and suspicious. Padmé needed a way to speak with them, hopefully the gala would allow her the freedom.
It was half way through the third week of her being at Vader's establishments, that day, the Sith Lord himself had escorted her to the Senate and surprisingly both of them had meetings the entire day. The sun was setting over Coruscant before they reconvened in her office. And for the first time, she actually slightly smiled when he came into her office. Over the weeks, when he was around her, he'd be a gentleman. They were small things but he wasn't as bad as she figured him to be. Padmé wondered if he was on his best behavior around her but on occasion it seemed too easy for him to be kind.
This time when leaving the Senate, when they reached the restricted lot- Padmé felt his hand slip to the small of her back. Surprisingly, she didn't flinch or poorly in the slightest. She let him touch her. When they reached his speeder as he opened the door, she was caught off guard when he spoke.
"There's a stop we have to make before heading back," Vader announced before gesturing her to get inside. She was expecting his tone to be emotionless, as it was the majority of the time he spoke to her- but it wasn't. There was a soft edge that she'd honestly never heard from him before. It wasn't the spine-shivering teasing one that he'd use rarely or the completely indifferent one- he sounded normal. When he spoke she almost could hear a smoothness in his voice that made her believe he was much younger than she had anticipated.
"Where are we going?" She wondered slipping into her seat and strapping the safety restraints swiftly.
"The gala is in several days, unfortunately it's a masquerade ball," Vader muttered not even attempting to hide the annoyance in his voice as he revved the engine. "I figured that you'd want to choose your own dress," he continued as he shifted the yoke, pulling them out of the lot at a rational speed for the first time ever.
"Oh," Padmé whispered, "Thank you."
The flight to where ever they were going was a silent one, his flying started out rational but as traffic continued to get worse, the number of traffic laws Vader broke increased. Remaining stiff in the passenger's seat, Padmé eyed the skyline as the sun continued to vanish. Striking reds, yellows, and purples were painted across the sky. As she admired the beautiful colors, she tried to quiet her thoughts about how his words made her feel. He wanted her to decide what dress she wanted to wear, another instance where he'd shown that he respected her freedom of choice. It seemed both of them were required to marry and to attend this gala but the things he could control he allowed her to have a say. She turned her head away from the man beside her as she bit her bottom lip, he was becoming more and more different than Palpatine that she would have imagined. Albeit she didn't know a damn thing about him, but what little she did know- told her that he and his master were exceedingly different.
Pulling her from the twirling analysis, the speeder began to descend towards a familiar luxurious fashion store. Padmé recognized it from her time as Queen when she'd first visited Coruscant. It was the oldest and most exclusive clothing stores on the entire planet- possibly even the galaxy. The landing zone of this shop was highly restricted, only certain aristocrats had the pleasure of even coming close.
Eyeing the man beside her, she began to wonder if Vader himself was going to dress appropriatelyfor the gala. She found herself becoming flustered with the possibility that she may finally see him. With her head on a swivel, her attention shifted back to the store as an older man dressed in stylish robes walked out to greet him. She was surprised how sincere his smile appeared- probably because it was, the Empire had presumably made this establishment excessively wealthy.
"Lord Vader, Senator Amidala we are honored to have you here again," the man bowed as the Sith lord stepped out of the speeder. "Senator it has been far too long," he smiled as Vader gracefully lead her out of the speeder. Once again she felt the Sith Lord's hand slip to the small of her back as they were lead inside. The touch of his hand against the thin slick of her Senate gown sent shockwaves through her body and she struggled to overlook the powerful sensation as Vader continued to speak with the man leading the way.
When they stepped into the lavish store, she blown away by the extravagance of the place- just like the first time she'd been there. All of her attire was imported from her home world of Naboo, she only had one dress that she ever purchased from this place. The amount of credits she'd spent on that one outfit was shameful- which made her hesitate even contemplating allowing Vader buy something for her here. Every dress that they had was unique, not a single one alike. They also had designers in case there wasn't a style you were looking for and they'd have it tailored within a day of the order. Every dress or formal robes were made from the most rare fabrics throughout the entire galaxy. It made her stressed thinking about having to decide from their collection.
Hearing a familiar title snapped her out of thought as her wondering eyes connected back with the man whom had greeted them. Now a woman with short cropped curly onyx hair and piercing blue eyes stood to his left with a small smile covering her features and Padmé froze, realizing she hadn't been listening.
"Would you please follow me, My Lady?" The woman said, Padmé was flustered wondering whether she had to repeat herself. It was never like Padmé to space out- but at the moment she was flustered, this was a modification in their usual routine, one she hadn't anticipated. Her eyes glanced to Vader's hood, and when she felt him gently push against the small of her back, she took the helpful hint to follow the young woman as Vader stayed behind.
After what seemed like hours of contemplation and serious conversation with the stylist, Claire. Padmé finally settled on a dress. She wondered how Vader could be so patient- but then again he was someone who could stand watching her for hours on end in her office. The usual color pallet of the Empire was crimson, black, and grey. Padmé wanted nothing to do with any of those colors and opted for a navy blue strapless dress that accented her curves with a corset. It wasn't loud, the last thing she need was to gain even more attention to herself by wearing something too revealing or too bright. She knew just by arriving with Vader would cause mass curiosity. When she gazed at herself in the three pane mirror, Padmé thought she looked nice, the only drawback from the dress was the slit that ran from the middle of her thigh down to just above where her silver sandal high heels ended. Claire seemed genuinely ecstatic about the outfit, handing her a possible mask she could wear to match.
"Perhaps we could add some platinum accents, it would bring out your complexion," the woman muttered, deep in thought as she pulled at the brim of the dress.
"No it's okay I think that it looks great," Padmé smiled, not really wanting them to have to make any modifications. When her eyes flickered to the mirror, her expression struggled to stay neutral seeing Vader leaning against the doorframe. There would have never been a better time to have Dormé there by her side for this entire process.
"Lord Vader, your thoughts?" Claire questioned brightly, taking note of his presence as well.
"I am not one for fashion but she does look stunning," he replied slowly, straightening himself off the frame to glide further into the room.
"Well, it seems this is the one," Padmé smiled almost too brightly, finding herself desperately needing to put her conservative Senate gown back on.
"I still think you could use something to brighten up the dress, your skin is fair- darker colors for you need some brightness laced for balance," Claire stated in obvious deep contemplation.
"Truly, it's alright. I'll wear a necklace or something," Padmé brushed off her comment.
"Let me at least show you what I'm talking about, give me one moment," Claire beamed before scurrying away.
"The idea she has in her mind for the dress is a good one," Vader said, folding his arms across his chest.
"Yes, but we've been here for hours," Padmé argued as she stepped down of the short circular platform. The woman's heart skittered at Vader's sudden closeness. Force, even in five inch heels he was still a good seven inches taller. "I really don't want them to make any changes. The dress is perfect the way it is," she continued. As the words fell off her lips, she realized this was possibly the longest conversation they'd ever had that didn't consist of snide remarks. Their interaction was actually sounding like a normal one.
"It's up to you," he shrugged dropping his arms from his chest.
Padmé felt like rolling her eyes at his comment, he suddenly sounded like a teenage boy to her ears. There was no roughness or the usual emotionless tenor that he seemed to carry. Padmé wanted to ask when she could finally see his face but then recalled that she had told him eventually… meaning it was up to him to decide the when. "Well usually I have Dormé's input on decisions like this."
"I'm sure you've made much more difficult decisions in life Senator," he all but chuckled, "It's just a dress. You'll look beautiful either way."
Padmé's eyes flickered to him in speculation, "Is that a compliment?"
"I'm stating a truth, nothing more," Brushing off her question with ease. So he does have an opinion.
"This is what I am trying to convey," Claire skipped back in, holding up a black dress with golden accents. "This would be a better for someone with a darker complexion than yourself- due to the gold. But we can do something similar with yours."
Padmé analyzed the dress and she truly did like it. It wouldn't be so dark but it also didn't seem excessive. She found herself contemplating why this frivolous decision was so difficult, Padmé never had an issue deciding when she was younger- perhaps she was beginning to rely on Dormé too heavily.
"Thoughts?" The woman smiled sweetly, after a few moments of quiet.
"Sure, I suppose I should go with your judgement," Padmé acquiesced.
"Great, I just wanted to do some final hemming adjustments and we will have the dress shipped over when it's done tomorrow," She beamed. The Senator's head notched to the side, this woman seemed to truly enjoy her job. Padmé was the same with her own work once upon a time but now…
Shaking the negative thoughts from her mind, she rejoined her place onto the small platform so the woman could begin shifting the pins on the sides of her dress. Padmé continually tried to ignore Vader's presence even though she could feel his eyes burning into her figure. Even though she never really cared about such a thing, he'd called her beautiful. She partially felt flattered but also mystified that he actually had an opinion regarding appearances. Then again her mind recalled back to that day in her bedroom when she thought he'd whispered the very same word- so he'd thought of her as such all along? Padmé stopped the development of her thoughts into the superficial analysis immediately, why did it matter what he thought?
Once Claire was finally done making the final adjustments, Padmé could not have felt more content to jump in Vader's speeder and return to his establishments. Darkness had long since overtaken the city which was now illuminated by twinkling lights and speeders. The moment she stepped from the speeder, she felt like everything between them had shifted back to their usual routine of leaving each other alone. And they did just that, went their separate ways until the following morning.