"I'm aware it's perfectly true," he tells her with feigned innocence. "I'm also resigned to the fact that in five years' time, I will probably be completely white-haired, between your penchant for trouble and Anakin's similar insistence on finding it. I seem to be the only sensible person left in this little group."
"I'm not sure I agree with the idea of you being the sensible one of the group," she refutes with a charmed smile, withdrawing her hand from his arm as the path begins to narrow. "But I think you'll look quite handsome still with white hair." That smile is just a bit cheeky as she turns and continues leading him, frequently looking back to make sure he's not having any trouble as the incline gets steeper.
Obi-Wan's eyes widen in surprised delight at her sauciness, following Padmé easily even as the path becomes more rustic and steep.
"Well, that's fortunate," he says a few moments later, drawing near to her shoulder, "because I will most assuredly go white long before you." Age has never bothered him in companions before - and it doesn't now either, Jedi have naturally long lives thanks to their strong connection to the Force - but every now and then he is reminded that Padmé is over a decade younger than him. She's mature, and compared to Anakin, only 5 years her junior, she might as well be middle-aged. Being long-lived doesn't mean he won't continue to look his age. For all he knows, he'll end up looking like Master Yoda.
Edited (omg random tense change) 2018-09-12 05:08 (UTC)
Age has never been the slightest concern for Padmé, who has spent her life surrounded by those much older than she. While child leaders were quite commonplace on Naboo, the same could not be said for other parts of the galaxy, and she had always worked quite closely with her advisers and later with other senators. There are many times when she forgets just how young she really is, truthfully.
"With my chosen career, nothing is certain," she points out, intending for the comment to allude to the stress of the political sphere. Though, in retrospect and considering the catalyst for their marriage... Well. Hopefully he won't interpret it thus.
Obi-Wan understands what she meant by the comment, but also hears the other meaning: her chosen field is dangerous, her life could be cut short. He responds to both when he replies, "The same can be said for the Jedi. We'll just have to take care of each other, it seems."
Because they're having a pleasant conversation, Obi-Wan lets the worry of peril and death slide past him; worrying now will do nothing but ruin a perfectly good day, as there's nothing he can concretely plan for. Instead, he continues to follow Padmé, until they reach a break in the foliage, entering a clearing that sits atop an outcropping overlooking the water. Glancing to the side, he can see the manor, large and majestic.
Taking care of each other sounds so... wonderful. When the idea of a bodyguard through marriage had first been proposed to her, she'd been staunchly against it, not wanting to put another person so thoroughly in harm's way for her own sake alone. Really, she'd accepted the arrangement only after that last attack, and under the strict condition that she have final say on her guard. And now look at them. She would never have guessed the turns her life would take even a week ago.
"I used to come up here to practice my speeches," she confides as she steps closer to the edge, though still a safe distance from the drop. "I'd recite them over and over until I was completely comfortable with every word. It was the middle of the night before I reached that point with my coronation address, and I had to make my way back down in the dark."
Listening to her story, Obi-Wan is both charmed and resigned. It's not as if she could have stayed here until morning, when it would have been safer to travel back down the path, but if ever there was an anecdote that so thoroughly expressed her disregard for her own safety...
"Of course you did," he comments, moving to stand next to her for a moment and take in the view, opening his senses to feel the life surrounding them.
"I'm going to miss this, when we return to Coruscant," he confides. "I always feel that way, when I return from a mission in the wilderness. But it's usually tempered by the fact that in said wilderness, I've been fighting for my life. This... the Temple Meditation gardens won't be the same."
"We'll come back as often as we can," she promises him, slipping her arm around his waist and leaning in against him. Perhaps one day they'd even be able to bring Anakin here, once he was older and they had all settled into their new roles. "I used to stay with my family when I was in Theed, but we can find a home of our own for when I need to be here. Something on the outskirts of the city might offer you a similar experience, especially near one of the waterfalls."
Obi-Wan's inclination is to feel uncomfortable, discussing buying a house, before he remembers that, as a married couple, buying a house is a completely natural, even expected thing to do. Still... "It sounds lovely. But I don't want to you to put yourself out, just for a small bit of my comfort."
Speaking of her family... "You know, I met your parents and sister at the ceremony, but we didn't get much chance to converse. What do they think of this development?"
She's glad that he doesn't protest the idea of the house too strongly - she's not prepared for their first argument. The both of them are stubborn, she's learned at least that much over the years, and she has no doubt that when they do have that first argument, it will be something of legend.
"They were a little unsure of it, at first," she admits. "But they often bring up the Trade Federation's invasion whenever my career comes up in conversation. They were so worried for me, and so relieved when my term as queen finished, but they've started to realize that the Senate can be just as dangerous. If anything now, they're grateful that it's you of all people."
The worry her family feels is understandable, but he's surprised at the last thing she says. "Me? Why?" He would assume because he's a Jedi, but it's clear from the way Padmé says it that it's not just a Jedi in general, but him specifically that they're grateful to. As far as he's aware, the only way they would know of him would be after the blockade; but even then, he had been a Padawan, not the leader, and Padmé herself had solved the blockade, while he and Qui-Gon... while they had been fighting their own battle.
She leans back enough to look up at him, her expression open and unguarded, affection etched across every line of her face. "Because I know you," she explains, though she feels as though it should have been rather a bit obvious. "And because I trust you."
Because her family is well aware that even having a team of bodyguards surrounding her at all times would amount to nothing if she didn't trust them. Having one man by her side who she already considered a friend? Well, they did hope that it would lead her to being perhaps a little less reckless with her own safety. (She didn't feel it necessary to destroy that illusion for them just yet.)
"Hmmm," he hums, leaning forward to kiss her. "Trusting me and listening to me are two very different things, my lady," he murmurs. "Is your family aware of that?"
Drawing the blanket from her arm, he shakes it out before placing it down, close enough to the cliff edge to still be able to appreciate the spectacular view, but far enough back so as not to feel as if they're in imminent danger of toppling over.
She accepts that kiss with a smile that turns into a laugh. Her family is well aware of that fact, but they still tend to hope for the best in spite of her nature. And truthfully, she loves them all the more for it.
Settling on the blanket, she leans back on her hands and gazes out at the water for a moment before turning her attention back to him and something he'd said earlier. "I want you to know, your comfort is no small thing to me, Obi-Wan," she informs him, keeping her tone gentle instead of letting any senatorial authority slip into the words. "If I can do something for you, then I want to."
In the middle of pulling out their lunch from the satchel, Obi-Wan glances over at her in surprise at the non-sequitur. He smiles at her affectionately, but shakes his head a little. "I do appreciate that. I want for very little though, and comfort is a small thing for me. Clean clothes, a comfortable bed to sleep in and shelter from the elements are all luxuries I've had to forgo in the past, and so they are the only comforts I know I truly require. Anything else feels like extravagance."
It's not that he enjoys comfort and luxury when he can get it, but he is a tactile person, and enjoys the comfort that seems to only come from well-made, expensive items. He can't stomach too much rich, fine food, instead preferring simple fare, but even then he can appreciate the quality of it. Clothing is where his downfall lies, and he has always held his appreciation and love of fine linen, watery silks and supple leather close to his chest, unwilling to let anyone else know that he is not the austere Jedi one would expect.
It comes as no surprise to hear him say any of that; it seems the Jedi way to make do with very little and be content with a simple life. A life so very different from the one she leads, the one that he is now a part of. Again, she wonders how that will work between them, how they will fold their lives together, but those are thoughts for another time.
"Just because you don't require something doesn't mean you aren't allowed to enjoy it," she points out earnestly. "You'll have more than just a comfortable bed and clean clothes in our home -- and I would like it to be our home, for you to be able to relax and take comfort in being there." It's incredibly important to her that that happen, actually.
Smiling, he reaches over to pick up her hand and kiss the back of it. "I promise, I will be able to relax and take comfort there. It's not--" he pauses, trying to find the right words. "You're right; not requiring something doesn't mean I can't enjoy it. I'm not disputing that. I do enjoy luxury, but it's not something I was... raised to expect, I suppose you could say. Have I seemed ill at ease here?" He gestures toward the manor they're staying at, down the cliff.
"I don't want you to think, just because I prefer simpler things, that I'm... thumbing my nose at those who enjoy luxury and extreme comfort." He gives her a mischievous smile and nod of his head. "Or those who were raised with it, my lady. But I'm much more comfortable wearing simple tunics rather than elaborate formal clothing. My system isn't used to rich food, and so I have a natural tendency to--" he holds up a slice of cheese, "--go for the simple things. That's all."
Everything he says is filed away in her mind, stored for analysis and planning later when they return to Coruscant. She means every word of what she says and fully intends to do what she can to make his life with her as unobtrusive as possible. If he prefers simple things, then she won't force anything else on him, though she'll make certain he always knows he has the option.
"Thank you for explaining," she says with a soft smile. "I'm sorry to press so." Hopefully he understands that she does it out of affection.
Smiling with pleasure, Obi-Wan shakes his head. "No, no need to apologize. That's sort of the whole point of us being here together, away from everything else, isn't it? To figure out how we can fit our lives together."
Obi-Wan doesn't mind the questions, is happy to answer them.
While he knows that no question is stupid, and it's far better to ask than make a fool of yourself later for not knowing something, he himself tends to be a little reticent in asking questions sometimes, preferring instead to observe and act as if he knows what's going on.
It's true, that's exactly why they're here. An entire week of just being together, for the express purpose of being able to smoothly transition back to their normal lives afterward. She's grateful to have the time, especially now, though there had certainly been occasions during the planning when it had seemed like far too long.
She tilts her head slightly, observing him for a moment before voicing her thoughts. "You haven't asked me any questions yet."
Caught out, Obi-Wan laughs a little. "I'm not sure what there is to ask. I already know I'll be intruding on your life." He waves his hand before she has a chance to protest, which he thinks she would. "I mean, any time two people try to live together, blend their lives together in a significant way, it feels like an intrusion at first. It was the same with-- when I became a Padawan, as well." His voice drops at the last part, and he glances away for a moment, before turning back with forced lightheartedness.
"Tell me about your family," he requests. It's not a question exactly, but since he's got a fairly good idea of her public life, he wants to know more about what, and who, has shaped her as a person.
She would have protested, quite strongly in fact, so it's good that he headed her off before she could start. She reaches out when his words falter, setting her hand on his shoulder because she understands who he's speaking of and how much it still hurts him, and then she welcomes the change of subject.
"You met my parents, Ruwee and Jobal," she begins, leaning back to watch him fondly as she speaks of the people who mean the most to her in the galaxy. "Their mothers were good friends and always hoped they would one day marry, but it was still surprising when they met and fell in love. My father was a member of the Refugee Relief Movement then, and after they were married, they founded a village in the mountains not far from Theed. That's where I was born."
The hand on his shoulder is appreciated, and he slants his gaze toward her to acknowledge it, but he's grateful when she takes the change of subject without mentioning it further. Qui-Gon's fate, and his feelings on it, are what they are, and nothing can change the former, and only time and contemplation can change the latter, in his experience.
"Meeting your parents and hearing you speak about them are entirely different things, though," he says, smiling at her story. "So you have altruistic tendencies in your blood. I can't say as I'm surprised."
There's a slight pause, before Obi-Wan asks, in a manner that aims for nonchalance, but is slightly tentative for him, "What about the village? Have you been back there recently? Is it still a village, or has it grown into a town or city by now?"
Her parents had raised her and Sola to be compassionate and caring people, lessons she still values greatly to this day. Without those pillars in her life, she couldn't begin to guess where her path would have diverged, and she wouldn't change a thing about her life before now.
With a shake of her head, she answers, "I haven't been back in a very long time. It's still small, I believe, though it's expanded as the families have naturally grown. I think the people there like it that way, and I remember it being a very peaceful place."
Obi-Wan is quiet for a moment, staring out toward the water with a contemplative look on his face.
Eventually, he ventures, aiming for nonchalance but sounding a little tentative, "What if we had a house there? If it's close to Theed, it would be near where you needed to go, but still separate as well." He rather obviously doesn't glance toward Padmé to gauge her reaction, but he's highly attuned to her through the Force.
When it comes to personal preferences, Obi-Wan isn't very well-versed in asking for what he wants; he's used to making due, and appreciating what he's given. But the village holds sentimental value, if not childhood memories, for Padmé, and it sounds like the kind of place he would enjoy, despite being Coruscanti and thus the very definition of 'city boy'.
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"Well, that's fortunate," he says a few moments later, drawing near to her shoulder, "because I will most assuredly go white long before you." Age has never bothered him in companions before - and it doesn't now either, Jedi have naturally long lives thanks to their strong connection to the Force - but every now and then he is reminded that Padmé is over a decade younger than him. She's mature, and compared to Anakin, only 5 years her junior, she might as well be middle-aged. Being long-lived doesn't mean he won't continue to look his age. For all he knows, he'll end up looking like Master Yoda.
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"With my chosen career, nothing is certain," she points out, intending for the comment to allude to the stress of the political sphere. Though, in retrospect and considering the catalyst for their marriage... Well. Hopefully he won't interpret it thus.
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Because they're having a pleasant conversation, Obi-Wan lets the worry of peril and death slide past him; worrying now will do nothing but ruin a perfectly good day, as there's nothing he can concretely plan for. Instead, he continues to follow Padmé, until they reach a break in the foliage, entering a clearing that sits atop an outcropping overlooking the water. Glancing to the side, he can see the manor, large and majestic.
"Well. I can see why you enjoy this spot."
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"I used to come up here to practice my speeches," she confides as she steps closer to the edge, though still a safe distance from the drop. "I'd recite them over and over until I was completely comfortable with every word. It was the middle of the night before I reached that point with my coronation address, and I had to make my way back down in the dark."
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"Of course you did," he comments, moving to stand next to her for a moment and take in the view, opening his senses to feel the life surrounding them.
"I'm going to miss this, when we return to Coruscant," he confides. "I always feel that way, when I return from a mission in the wilderness. But it's usually tempered by the fact that in said wilderness, I've been fighting for my life. This... the Temple Meditation gardens won't be the same."
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Speaking of her family... "You know, I met your parents and sister at the ceremony, but we didn't get much chance to converse. What do they think of this development?"
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"They were a little unsure of it, at first," she admits. "But they often bring up the Trade Federation's invasion whenever my career comes up in conversation. They were so worried for me, and so relieved when my term as queen finished, but they've started to realize that the Senate can be just as dangerous. If anything now, they're grateful that it's you of all people."
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Because her family is well aware that even having a team of bodyguards surrounding her at all times would amount to nothing if she didn't trust them. Having one man by her side who she already considered a friend? Well, they did hope that it would lead her to being perhaps a little less reckless with her own safety. (She didn't feel it necessary to destroy that illusion for them just yet.)
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Drawing the blanket from her arm, he shakes it out before placing it down, close enough to the cliff edge to still be able to appreciate the spectacular view, but far enough back so as not to feel as if they're in imminent danger of toppling over.
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Settling on the blanket, she leans back on her hands and gazes out at the water for a moment before turning her attention back to him and something he'd said earlier. "I want you to know, your comfort is no small thing to me, Obi-Wan," she informs him, keeping her tone gentle instead of letting any senatorial authority slip into the words. "If I can do something for you, then I want to."
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It's not that he enjoys comfort and luxury when he can get it, but he is a tactile person, and enjoys the comfort that seems to only come from well-made, expensive items. He can't stomach too much rich, fine food, instead preferring simple fare, but even then he can appreciate the quality of it. Clothing is where his downfall lies, and he has always held his appreciation and love of fine linen, watery silks and supple leather close to his chest, unwilling to let anyone else know that he is not the austere Jedi one would expect.
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"Just because you don't require something doesn't mean you aren't allowed to enjoy it," she points out earnestly. "You'll have more than just a comfortable bed and clean clothes in our home -- and I would like it to be our home, for you to be able to relax and take comfort in being there." It's incredibly important to her that that happen, actually.
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"I don't want you to think, just because I prefer simpler things, that I'm... thumbing my nose at those who enjoy luxury and extreme comfort." He gives her a mischievous smile and nod of his head. "Or those who were raised with it, my lady. But I'm much more comfortable wearing simple tunics rather than elaborate formal clothing. My system isn't used to rich food, and so I have a natural tendency to--" he holds up a slice of cheese, "--go for the simple things. That's all."
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"Thank you for explaining," she says with a soft smile. "I'm sorry to press so." Hopefully he understands that she does it out of affection.
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Obi-Wan doesn't mind the questions, is happy to answer them.
While he knows that no question is stupid, and it's far better to ask than make a fool of yourself later for not knowing something, he himself tends to be a little reticent in asking questions sometimes, preferring instead to observe and act as if he knows what's going on.
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She tilts her head slightly, observing him for a moment before voicing her thoughts. "You haven't asked me any questions yet."
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"Tell me about your family," he requests. It's not a question exactly, but since he's got a fairly good idea of her public life, he wants to know more about what, and who, has shaped her as a person.
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"You met my parents, Ruwee and Jobal," she begins, leaning back to watch him fondly as she speaks of the people who mean the most to her in the galaxy. "Their mothers were good friends and always hoped they would one day marry, but it was still surprising when they met and fell in love. My father was a member of the Refugee Relief Movement then, and after they were married, they founded a village in the mountains not far from Theed. That's where I was born."
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"Meeting your parents and hearing you speak about them are entirely different things, though," he says, smiling at her story. "So you have altruistic tendencies in your blood. I can't say as I'm surprised."
There's a slight pause, before Obi-Wan asks, in a manner that aims for nonchalance, but is slightly tentative for him, "What about the village? Have you been back there recently? Is it still a village, or has it grown into a town or city by now?"
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With a shake of her head, she answers, "I haven't been back in a very long time. It's still small, I believe, though it's expanded as the families have naturally grown. I think the people there like it that way, and I remember it being a very peaceful place."
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Eventually, he ventures, aiming for nonchalance but sounding a little tentative, "What if we had a house there? If it's close to Theed, it would be near where you needed to go, but still separate as well." He rather obviously doesn't glance toward Padmé to gauge her reaction, but he's highly attuned to her through the Force.
When it comes to personal preferences, Obi-Wan isn't very well-versed in asking for what he wants; he's used to making due, and appreciating what he's given. But the village holds sentimental value, if not childhood memories, for Padmé, and it sounds like the kind of place he would enjoy, despite being Coruscanti and thus the very definition of 'city boy'.
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