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[senateur]

P a d m é	A m i d a l a	N a b e r r i e

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[senateur]

Of all the things that could have come out of Obi-Wan's mouth, bantha shite is the very last thing she could have expected. It catches her by surprise and the laugh that bubbles up is brief but effective; that weariness loosens its grip and things seem just a little brighter.

Straightening up, she turns slightly and leans further into him, slipping her arms around his middle and pulling him into a solid embrace. For just a moment, she's quiet, and then, softly, "Thank you, Obi-Wan. For reminding me to stay in this moment, and for agreeing to all of this in the first place. I can't imagine going through my life with anyone else by my side." And she means every word of it.

[whatimust]

The smile he gives her is pleased, and if she were to look, his feelings would be quite obvious in that moment; he loves her, and wants nothing more than to see her happy.

Her hug takes him by surprise, but he's quick to reciprocate, resting his cheek atop her head, allowing himself this brief moment of closeness. "I assure you," he says just as softly and sincerely, "it is my pleasure, Padmé. Anything I can do to help, you have only to ask it."

[senateur]

She tightens her arms around him, giving him a firm squeeze before loosening her grip in order to step back. Her hands rest on his arms as she looks up at him with a warm affectionate smile. "I think breakfast is an excellent place to start," she pronounces, not wanting to let go of him and taking every second she can to prolong this moment between them. "I was going to make something with the eggs."

[whatimust]

It takes a supreme effort not to get lost staring into Padmé's eyes, and Obi-Wan is nodding a second before he realizes it. "My typical breakfast is tea and toast, so you'll have to show me what to do, my lady."

He makes no move to end their contact, and again wonders if Padmé might return his feelings, or if she's just grateful to him.

[senateur]

The way he calls her that... She'd intended to say something about it, but this time it feels different. It feels right in a way she can't quite explain. "If you can wield a lightsaber, you can make an omelet," she assures him, reluctantly letting her hands fall away from him in order to turn back to the ingredients laid out before them.

Explaining the steps is easy enough. Ingredients are chopped, eggs are whisked, and she coaches him on how to cook the eggs in the pan, at one point even reaching out to set her hands on his and physically show him a step. It's nice, working with him like this. Being close.

[whatimust]

Obi-Wan is no stranger to taking instruction and learning things quickly. He's fairly confident by the end that he could make an omelet unsupervised; it may not be the prettiest of fare, but it would be edible. He allows Padmé to maneuver him through a certain step, his eyebrows raising slightly in surprised amusement.

The whole thing is easy, comfortable, and he could very quickly get used to these moments. He hopes even when their lives return to the typical daily frustrations and rushing to get things accomplished, they will have time to do small things like this together.

When it's done, he plates it and hands her the finished product. "Does this meet with your approval, m'lady?" he teases.

[senateur]

It will be a very sad thing indeed if they no longer have interactions like this when they return to normal life. She would miss it dearly, and their lives would be much poorer without these moments.

Taking the plate, she examines the meal with scrutiny before pronouncing with a bit of mischief in her gaze, "You are an excellent student, my dear Jedi. It looks delicious."

[whatimust]

"Wonderful," he replies with a quirk of his brow, before nodding to the table they used last evening to eat. "You take this one, and we shall see if I can recreate it for myself, without your expert tutelage to guide me."

He can't resist a playful wink in her direction. "I do enjoy a challenge."

[senateur]

"Just don't burn down the kitchen, please," she teasingly requests before turning to take her seat at the table, wasting no time in spearing a bite with her fork. It tastes exactly as it should, the texture near to perfect, and she beams proudly over at Obi-Wan.

She hopes they can have more moments like these in their life ahead, just spending time together and managing everyday tasks. Wild adventures saving planets were all well and good, but she rather enjoyed the simple things as well.

[whatimust]

Turning back to the counter and preparing the next omelet-in-the-making, Obi-Wan gives a self-deprecating smile; she'll be able to hear it, even if she doesn't see it. "That happened one time, and I was still a young Padawan. I assure you, if nothing else, my skill at fire-suppression has become much better."

[senateur]

"Oh, well, that's very good to know," she manages before letting out a vibrant laugh. This is exactly what she'd needed after the rocky start to the morning, and somehow she she has the feeling he'd known that. Whether it was the Force or his own perceptive ways, he's been quite good thus far at picking up on the little things and knowing how to move forward with this. She's grateful for that.

[whatimust]

"It's a very useful skill," he assures her with faux-seriousness, moving to the skillet. "Should a fire ever break out - well, I can't stop it entirely, but I can contain it." He pauses for dramatic effect. "Mostly, at any rate. There may be a few scorch marks when everything is said and done, but no lasting damage."

Padmé gives him too much credit; Obi-Wan is only thinking how much he enjoys making her laugh, seeing her happy and cheerful. If that means helping to take her mind off more serious things, he's more than willing to do so, even if it comes at the expense of some of his dignity.

[senateur]

"So long as none of those scorch marks are on you, my dear Jedi, we'll be just fine," she informs him before taking another bite. It wouldn't do to let a good meal grow cold, though she did intend to take her time with it so he'd be able to join her before she finished.

Things have been far too serious in her life as of late, and the respite from that pressure is more than welcome.

[whatimust]

"Nothing that can't be wiped off with a liberal application of water and some vigorous scrubbing," he teases.

Carefully folding the egg over when it's time, Obi-Wan is pleased to see he's gotten it... fairly right. It didn't fall apart completely, at least, which is what would've surely happened before Padmé had tutored him. "I daresay, I can add 'omelet-making' to my repertoire of skills, as well."

[senateur]

"It's a very useful skill to have," she emphasizes after chewing her latest bite. "Tea and toast isn't a terrible breakfast by any means, but sometimes you need something with more substance. Especially before vigorous physical activity like hiking up a mountain."

[whatimust]

"So long as tea is involved somewhere," he informs her loftily, "I am fine with whatever fare is available."

Omelet created and plated, he moves over to sit with her at the table. "I've found over the years that I don't enjoy having too much food sit in my stomach at the beginning of the day. I'd rather be hungry by lunch-time, than feel sluggish while performing said vigorous physical activities."

[senateur]

"That's good to know," she says with a nod before giving a little half-shrug. All of it, really. She preferred a good cup of caf herself, but it was absolutely no trouble to make sure he was well-supplied with tea.

"I'm the opposite in some ways. I usually try to have a big breakfast because I tend to get so caught up in work that I miss lunch entirely or only have time for a quick bite of something. And during especially busy times, there are days when I don't leave my office until the middle of the night."

[whatimust]

"Oh dear," he murmurs, only slightly feigning concern. "Suddenly hostile negotiations sounds like the better of our two occupations."

Well. Former occupation, at any rate. "I'll have to start surreptitiously bringing food to you, nudging you until you eat, just so that I'll leave you alone again. And then dragging you off to bed. Tell me, Senator," he leans forward with an intense look, his voice deepening in seriousness, while a smile plays just along the edges of his mouth. "Are you susceptible to taking bribes?"

[senateur]

She doesn't mention that 'hostile negotiations' tend to be a rather regular occurrence in her line of work as well. He can have that revelation later, when they've returned to Coruscant.

Leaning forward to match his stance, she counters in an equally serious tone, "Not in the slightest. You'll have to come up with another means of negotiating, my dear Jedi." And gods if that doesn't put thoughts into her head that really shouldn't be there.

[whatimust]

Obi-Wan cannot keep his mischievous smile contained. Holding eye-contact with her, he can't help but add a flirtatious edge to his teasing. He doesn't want to make Padmé uncomfortable, but he does want to test the waters, a bit. "I assure you, Senator, I'm quite good at negotiations. And, when all else fails, forcibly carrying you to bed is always an option. For your continued health, of course."

[senateur]

That smile might very well be the death of her. If she was uncomfortable, it wasn't for any reason she wanted stopped. "Oh of course," she agrees with a nod and assured smile, a hint of her own flirtation slipping into the words. "Though I'm not entirely certain that's a battle you would win, Obi-Wan. I'm quite strong-willed, you know. Some have even used the word 'feisty' to describe me. Are you quite sure you're equipped for such a challenge?"

[whatimust]

His eyes light up at her response. "I assure you, my dear Padmé, when I set my mind to something, I surmount all obstacles until I've achieved my goal. While you may prove to be my most formidable opponent to date, I will persevere." He shifts his jaw slightly, his lips twitching before adding, "They do say that sometimes it's not reaching a goal, but the journey itself that's important."

[senateur]

"I believe that depends entirely on the goal itself," she reasons evenly, "and just how deeply you desire it." Something shifts ever so slightly within her and suddenly it isn't all teasing and playfulness. There's something else there, a questioning, a hint of a thing she thinks they might have been dancing around--

But what if she's wrong? This isn't a thing to be broached with levity, and she refuses to let anything happen that might ruin things between them. But still, she can't help but want to know...

[whatimust]

Obi-Wan feels it too, or perhaps picks up on Padmé's shifting emotions; but while he's been teasing with deliberately vague wording, now he's not speaking of their hypothetical scenario at all, but something much more personal. This desire he's held for her is suddenly at the forefront, and it's not just physical attraction or the want to share her bed, but the want to share her life with her, in a way that a bodyguard, even as a husband, wouldn't be allowed.

The smile fades from his face, but he continues to hold her eyes. His voice drops almost to a confessional murmur. "What if... I find I desire it a great deal? More, much more than I expected, or was prepared for?"

[senateur]

Oh gods, what is she doing? What are they doing? Her handmaidens had joked that this might happen, she'd had a crush on Obi-Wan all those years ago, but now--

Straightening her back, everything about her feels stiff and pulled tight, even breathing feeling like an issue as she tries to process what he's saying. What he means by those carefully crafted words. This isn't a teasing joke, this is their life, their future together. This future they've only just started working toward and now they're talking about changing everything.

"I don't know," she admits quietly, a thread of fear and uncertainty winding through her and stripping away any shred of confidence she'd felt before. "If you... This--" Her gaze drops from his to the table, searching for something, anything, and then she stands suddenly. "We don't have any tea. You like tea with your breakfast."

Stars help her.