Last time: Oppie and Kait faced a former ISB agent who used to search for Oppie.

Now: Cien needs a hand with her new robes.

Chapter 16- Measurements for Robes

Kyr yawned as he walked into the bedroom, feeling very tired. His arms and legs ached from time in the gym earlier in the day, and he had just finished putting the cribs together after helping Sport prepare the hangar bay for the new X-Wings. Truth be told, he was excited about them, but he still loved the Shadow too much to ever fly one of the flimsy little fighters except for a fun little test run. Though, there was a part of him that looked forward to having Viran be able to fly wingman for him since he understood his best friend had done such a great job during his rescue. X-Wings were good fighters. Great in the hands of a skilled pilot, and, truth be told, Viran was the best pilot he'd seen, so he could probably make an X-Wing dance. He took a seat on the bench that was at the end of the bed, relaxing for a moment.

Cien was in the bathroom, he could hear her getting ready for bed. He'd wait for her to finish before he went in to take a shower. She was always so efficient in everything she did, so he knew she would only be a few minutes longer. He yawned again, ready to snuggle under the warm sheets with her.

"Did you get the cribs together?" She asked, coming out of the bathroom while brushing her hair. Her light, silken robe swept around her pregnant stomach and he smiled looking at how beautiful she was.

"Yep." He said with another yawn as he rubbed his eyes. "All set up and ready to go."

"How easy are they to move?" She asked.

"Pretty easy, they have little casters on the bottom if we want to bring them in here." He said, answering her actual question.

She nodded, and he yawned again and she smirked slightly. "Was it the cribs that finally exhausted you? Or cleaning the hangar?"

"All of it, I think." He said. He put his arm up to stifle another yawn, and grimaced as the ache in his tricep made it hard to bring it up to cover his mouth.

"Are you pushing yourself too hard in the gym?" She asked, coming over with a slightly concerned look.

"Nah." He said, shaking his head. "It feels good, really. It's nice to ache because of the gym again. I feel like I'm getting back to where I was." He admitted. Everything had atrophied a bit during his convalescence after what had happened on Caranas, and afterwards when he had let things slip a bit, but now he had regained his strength. Perhaps a bit more, actually. He was on the wrong side of forty, now, he'd never be like he was in his mid twenties, but he felt leaner now than he did then. Then, he'd been more about bulking up to look good in his armor, now all he was looking for was to improve his functional strength, two very different goals.

She nodded, and sat down on the bench next to him. Her gaze lingered on their armor. Hers sparkled on her mannequin form that she kept it on whenever she wasn't wearing it. His was lazily lying in a heap on the top of the dresser next to his mannequin that he rarely ever went to the trouble to use

She snuggled into his side and he looked at her, slightly concerned. "You might not want to do that, I'm all gross still." He said.

"It's fine." She said as she wrapped an arm around his, hugging it. "I won't be able to wear my armor." She said, annoyed.

He smiled a little, both from her snuggling but also from her comment about the armor. He still remembered quite fondly the first time he'd ever seen her in it. And the shock he'd felt when she had agreed to have it forged just based on a joking comment of his. But he also grimaced slightly because she couldn't wear it and have that protection. "You will be able to soon." He said.

She pulled away, settling with her hands over her stomach, and he couldn't help but notice that she looked a little... miserable. "I feel so huge." She said quietly. "Everythings so different now." She groused quietly.

"You're not huge, cyar'ika." He said, slightly amused but trying to hide it.

"Yes I am." She stated. "I look like a purrgil." She said annoyedly.

Kyr tried very hard not to laugh. "Cyar'ika, you've always been so tiny, you don't have anything to worry about with that. You don't look like a purrgil."

"Yes I do." She said quietly, absently rubbing her stomach.

"No you don't. You look as beautiful as you always have. More beautiful, even, if that were possible." He said with a smile, fully meaning it. "You know that list I've been keeping?" He asked, wrapping a gross arm around her, though she didn't seem to mind as she leaned into him.

"Yes." She said. "I'm probably much lower in the ranking now." She said, dismayed, talking about the list he kept adding to, that had started so long ago in the back of the shuttle when he had described the beach to her.

"No, you've out done yourself and you're at the top." He said reassuringly. "Except for your smile in the dining room, nothing could replace that. And the first time I saw you in your armor." He said thoughtfully. "And your dress. And the night we got back after our vows and you -"

"Kyr." She said, wryly, looking up at him and stopping him from going any further with that moment.

"What?" He asked sheepishly. "Cyar'ika, Cienestra, there's nothing more beautiful in the galaxy than you, especially right now. What even brought this up?" He asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Just thinking about the trip, not being able to wear my armor. Then realizing I didn't have anything I could wear other than my floppy maternity clothes." She said absently.

He held back a chuckle unsuccessfully. "Floppy?" He asked. She always spoke so properly but surprised him with word choices like that occasionally.

"Yes, floppy." She said, looking up at him.

"Well, you have some time, we could fix that." He suggested.

"Like maternity armor?" She asked.

As much as he would like that, having her and the twins be so protected, he wasn't sure. "Well if you'd want. I'm not sure if you'd want to go through the trouble for another set just to wear it for another few months, especially if it won't fit quite right since things keep changing."

"I don't know what one is supposed to wear to a conference." She said.

"Something fun. You're going there because of your history as a Sith, right? Why not something thematic. Own that, have a little fun with that. This might be the only crowd you'll ever be around who will know what a Sith is, so a proper Sith outfit might scare just as many people as our armor usually does. More, even." He said, knowing the thought of scaring people might entice her into a better mood.

"All my robes are just as ill fitting as my armor is, though." She observed.

"Well, you have time to get new robes made, right?" He suggested. "Plus, you're not an acolyte anymore, you can get fancy robes befitting your status as the scariest, most powerful Sith Lord in the galaxy."

"I'm not, really." She observed.

"Yeah, but they won't know that." He said with a smirk.

That got a small chuckle to break past her melancholy attitude. "I don't know who to contact. All the robes I've had before there were… robe… making... people just on call."

"Sasha might be able to help?" Kyr suggested.

Cien furrowed her brow. "It feels wrong to ask Sasha to help me make Sith robes." She said, a familiar bout of guilt washing over her as she remembered their history.

"I'm sure she would love to help. But you don't have to. We have to go back to Corsin anyway, why not see if there's a seamstress that might be able to do the job for you?" He suggested.

She thought for a moment. "Okay." She said with a shrug.

"Or," Kyr stated, "you could just wear a potato sack. You would look beautiful in that as well."

"Kyr." She said with a tone of playful annoyance.

"Or what if you did something unexpected and went in Jedi Robes?" He continued.

"That feels wrong on so many levels, and might even be insulting to the rest of the family." She said playfully, trying to picture herself in the earth tone robes and failing.

Kyr could picture her in them, though, and he thought she'd be pretty cute. "Or, OR!" He said, then frowned. "No, that wouldn't work." He said with dismayed thoughtfulness.

"Do I even want to know?" She asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Probably not." Kyr said matter of factly. "But I think a new set of robes might be nice." He suggested.

"Yeah, it might be nice to have a set. They'd also hide the twins a bit." She said

"That's not something to worry about." He reminded her, "anyone who looks at you just sees a beautiful woman who is pregnant, which only makes you more beautiful."

She smiled a little. "Thanks cyar'riduur." She said, turning and twisting slightly to wrap her arms around him in a hug, albeit a little awkwardly because of the twins. He hugged her tight for a moment before she pulled away, with a wrinkled nose. "You are kind of gross." She observed.

"Yep." He said. "I'll go hop in the shower. Do you need another one after that hug?" He asked playfully.

"Maybe." She said, wrinkling her nose a little more, and Kyr had to hold back a laugh at how cute she looked. "No, then I'd have to dry my hair again." She said.

"Darn, I was hoping you'd join me." He said, getting up and pouting a little.

"You'll just have to suffice without me." She said with a smirk.

"Oh, that I could never do, cyar'ika." He said, heading towards the shower. "I'll be back out to continue snuggling, sans the grossness."

"Okay." She said with a smirk.

Cien walked through the house, trying to find Sasha. It was early afternoon, and the house was relatively quiet, she presumed Lana was taking a nap. She found her in the kitchen standing at the counter top, making lunch for what looked like herself and Viran.

"Hey Sasha, could you help me?" Cien asked.

"Sure," Sasha answered, looking up at her. "What's up?"

"I was going to order a new set of robes for the conference but she needs measurements." Cien stated, "I was going to ask Kyr but I trust you to do it correctly."

Sasha smirked. "Thanks. Here let me drop these off in the hangar for Viran and Kyr then we can go to your room or wherever and get the measurements done. Do you have a tape measure?" She asked as she finished preparing the sandwiches.

Cien thought for a second. "I'm not sure. Like the one that Viran has in the tool chest?"

"No," Sasha chuckled. "It would be a lot smaller and more flexible so it can wrap around a person's form. I have one in my room we can grab."

"Okay, thank you." Cien said, "I can take these to the hangar if you want to go get the tape?" She suggested.

"Sure, thanks," Sasha said as she picked up the plates and handed them over to Cien. "You got them?"

"Yeah." Cien said, "meet you in the living room?" She said as she started walking towards the stairs.

"Yep," Sasha said as she headed the other direction towards her bedroom.

Cien walked back up to the living room after dropping the sandwiches off. She rubbed her lower back from the ache that was becoming a constant annoyance these days as she stepped over to the seating arrangement where she and Sasha usually spent time together in the afternoons. Sasha entered a moment later with a small tape measure in hand.

"You alright?" Sasha asked, noticing Cien massaging her back.

"Yeah, it's just feeling a little sore." Cien replied.

"Ah," Sasha nodded in understanding. "This shouldn't take too long then you can sit and relax for a bit," she said.

"Okay," Cien said, stepping over to Sasha and spreading her arms. The last time she had done this was, ironically, when she was being fitted for her last set of robes as an empress.

Sasha smiled at her as she pulled out the tape. She then started to measure her arm length. "So did they say what measurements they needed from you? Or are we just doing all of them to be sure?" She asked as she noted the length of Cien's arm from her collar bone to the tips of her fingers.

"Oh." Cien said, looking around. "Yes, in the message they asked for specific measurements. I left my datapad in the kitchen, let me go grab it."

"Okay," Sasha said, stepping aside to let her pass.

Cien walked back in with the datapad, handing it to Sasha. "I admit some of these terms I am not sure what they're asking for."

"Don't worry. I know what they mean," Sasha said, taking the datapad. She read it over for a moment. "Okay yeah, these are about what I was expecting. Well I can go ahead and mark down for your sleeves." She keyed in the length into the appropriate box before setting the datapad aside. "Alright, arms up. I need your bust, waist, and then hips measurements."

Cien lifted her arms to let Sasha take the measurements. "I'm not even sure I want to know what these all are, now." She said with a small grin.

"Trust me when I say that getting someone's measurements can be an interesting experience," Sasha said, smiling as she adjusted the tape measure before writing down the size on the datapad. "Especially when it's Viran trying to be funny." She added as she straightened back up and prepared to take the measurements around Cien's belly.

"Yeah, that's why I didn't want to ask Kyr." Cien said sheepishly. "Though he has been kind about not commenting on how big I've become." She observed.

"He is a smart man," Sasha commented with a knowing look. "The last thing any expecting father wants to do is talk about their wife's size when pregnant. That's how black eyes happen. Or something worse, especially when your significant other is a Force user." She chuckled as she took note of the measurements and then knelt down to get Cien's hips.

"I think last time I did this the seamstress used some kind of laser scanner." Cien thought aloud. "It's interesting to see this way of doing it."

"The laser scanner, from what I have read, is the more common version," Sasha stated as she took down her hip size. "But this is the original way of doing it. Besides, I feel like you get more accurate measurements this way. Of course, I've never tried the other way," she thought out loud for a moment. She shook the thought away. "Okay I just need one more measurement then the rest you should be able to fill out on your own like your height and such."

"Okay." Cien stated.

"This one might be a little… awkward," Sasha said standing back up. "I need to measure your torso."

"My torso?" Cien repeated, looking at her a little confused.

"Yeah. It's technically the measurement of your torso from top to bottom," Sasha clarified. "So I have to measure here to here." She pointed at points on Cien's body where she would measure to. "But like this." She then gestured with her own body to mimic how the measurement is taken.

"Oh." Cien said. "Well okay then." Cien said, standing up a little straighter so Sasha could get the measurement.

Sasha quietly moved the tape around and got the measurement. As soon as she got it, she chuckled as she released the tape. "See this is why you didn't have Kyr do it. He would have just made it awkward. And because I'm your sister, that's impossible to do," she teased as she gathered up tape.

"Yep." Cien agreed with a smile. "Thank you vod'ika."

"Of course," Sasha said as she wrote down the measurement. "So how long will it take before you get these new robes?" She asked as she handed the datapad back to Cien.

"This is for a seamstress on Corsin, I was hoping to pick it up next week when we go back to pick up the X-wings." Cien replied.

"Ah okay," Sasha said, nodding. "I can't wait to see them."

"Yeah, I'm a little nervous about it, but I'm hoping they turn out well." Cien said taking measurements. She looked at the datapad and thought for a second. "I actually don't quite know what my height is, could you measure that as well? Since we're here?"

"Sure thing," Sasha said. "This one will be easier if you stand against a wall." She gestured over to the flattest wall in the living room.

Cien walked over and stepped out of her comfortable shoes, pressing herself up against the wall. "This is actually kind of comfortable to stand this way." She said with a smirk.

Sasha laughed at that. "I bet. Now stand still," she directed. She took the tape measure and placed it on the floor next to Cien's heel against the wall. Using the Force to keep it in place, Sasha then rose up until she was standing over Cien. She looked at the measurement that was in line with the top of Cien's head. "Alright, got it." She moved away a moment later holding the spot on the tape measure.

Cien glanced at the measurement and narrowed her gaze. "Are you sure that's right? I thought I was taller."

"That's what it says," Sasha said, throwing one hand up defensively as she smirked. "Sorry."

Cien harumphed as she shook her head with a smile. "Thanks." Cien said as she added that last measurement to the form and started heading back towards her room.

"Of course," Sasha said with a smile as she headed back to the kitchen. "I'm still making lunch. You want some?" She asked before they disappeared from each other's line of sight.

Cien stopped and looked towards her. "Sure, I'll be right back."

"Sounds good," Sasha nodded as she entered the kitchen.

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