#thrawnur

Starter for @thrawnur

The sound of smooth jizz flowing through appeared to mix well with the various tones of conversations transpiring in the large room. The atmosphere was perfectly lively for a celebration, as the Emperor —even if he currently stood out for his absence— and all officers and influential families involved, were celebrating the great expansion of the Empire's territories. It was one of the few instances in which Sev'rance had a chance to really relax– that is, if conversing with a load of people about business and political endeavors while having to keep things on a FRIENDLY basis could be deemed as relaxing.

For someone who took great pride in the vast ability of her own memory, Sev'rance almost lost mental count of the various department heads, senators, Moff, and officers of varying ranks she engaged with as far as the current stance on success they were on, and offered her own insight into how they could improve things in their respective systems and outposts. When Sev'rance spoke, people listened. Intently. They always did. And that was because she forced herself to become well-read in the different events taking place around the galaxy, as well as know how to keep the attention of an audience. Several different audiences, in this case, as there was a huge difference between small talk with a lower ranking officer, small talk with a senator and/or their spouse, and small talk with a Moff. Her expression through each conversation she engaged in was one of serious relaxation or collected amusement, depending on what each individual situation called for.

She carefully calculated when and under what circumstances to allow her lips to curve almost imperceptibly upwards into a pleased smile, a quite sporadic, blink-and-you-miss-it gesture that had people engaged in conversation with her because of the aura of mysterious sophistication she made a point to surround herself in. Many people had heard the stories of ruthlessness that had her as the protagonist. But in person, she gave away nothing. Some might have even pondered if they remembered wrong, if the ruthless former Supreme Commander of the Confederacy was a different Chiss. They never asked, not wanting to be the ones to make it obvious they couldn't tell Chiss apart. But Sev'rance could see the conflict in their eyes.

It amused her, greatly.

Until somebody else seized her attention. As it seemed she wasn't the only one keeping people on their toes. Across the dance floor she spotted a man in a white uniform– but it wasn't the uniform that intrigued her, it was the one wearing it. Blue skin, dark hair, red eyes– another Chiss.

Even if aware that she might be biased due to the fact this was the first time she had seen another Chiss in... far too long, Sev'rance had to admit it was rather impressive to watch him navigate the crowd in a way that was so much like hers yet different enough to keep her entertained. They moved in opposite directions: counterclockwise VS clockwise. He was easy to spot despite the visual obstacle that the people dancing posed. The contrast of his white uniform against blue skin made him stand out in a similar way to how the contrast of her own dark red dress against her own blue skin most likely did for her.

the young general found himself looking at the exact location on the holomap for more than an hour, convincing himself he isn't missing something. but he isn't able to locate what he set out to find. what does it mean ? before he can ask the question of himself, he hears footsteps following a familiar voice.

don't you think that it's boring how people talk?

although it isn't his place to do so, anakin chuckles as he turns his attention away from the map. he casually leans against the holotable while his shoulders rise & fall, & then his arms slowly fold across his chest. his gaze focuses on the other as silence fills the room again.

❛ come now, it can't be all that bad. ❜ a pause. ❛ maybe there was some miscommunication. did you think about that ? ❜

there was something poetic about the scene, really — his seemingly tensed figure sitting next to her on a couch, in a quiet space bathing in the hues of dusky orange, sweet melancholy speaking louder than any of the words he'd just voiced. he always spoke in such unique elegance that even padmé had difficulties trying to detect any underlying emotions from between the lines. it appeared that whenever his lips parted, a carefully formed and calculated piece of mind was 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝; and now, out of all places and times that could have been, he had decided that this was the only place where there was no need to talk at all. sometimes the idea of yelling all air out of tired lungs could bring consolation to a troubled one, but stars, if having even a minute of nothing but white noise could be worth of everything.

no trail of further inquiries left her lips. instead, one hand rose, and her small palm lightly caressed the side of his arm. she nodded. deciding to give him this desired moment of 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭, the senator stood up and headed towards the writing desk, potentially in an attempt to do some more work before retreating to rest.

what war meant to him, the senator couldn't know for sure, but she surprised herself from hoping to detect tiredness in his tone of voice. it wasn't her attempt to find weariness to relate to, but to have a comforting memory to return to whenever the weight of life might seem too heavy for her hands to hold; to remember she wasn't the only one whose 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 had possibly began to slowly quench. that in reality war meant nothing at all, but had fallen upon them only to keep on taking and taking.

leaning forward in her seat, hands resting in her lap, she offered a sorrowful smile. ❝ they have to. to many, it is the only way to survive. to think all of this pain was meaningless could easily start another fire. the battles we go through within our own minds can be just as devastating as the ones we have been witnessing here. ❞ a pause. ❝ does it have any meaning to you ? war. ❞

" thrawn. i need to speak with you. i've heard some. . . disconcerting rumors. " marin stops him, hands on her hips, trying to hide her smirk as her short frame blocks his access down the rest of the hall, " i've heard that you've been giving gifts to a certain imperial officer. everyone's talking about it. "

@thrawnur said: “i trust you completely.” // unprompted → ALWAYS ACCEPTING

         THEY  WERE  WORDS  SCARCELY  UTTERED,  and  even  scarcer  with  such  sincerity.  It  made  his  blood  run  cold,  the  furnace  of  his  heart  quenched  with  such  ferocity  that  his  veins  crackled  and  strained  under  the  sudden  chill,  pricking  his  skin  like  a  thousand  needles.  His  hollow  gaze,  furrowed  and  confused,  was  only  betrayed  behind his mask by  a  tilting  of  his  head,  and  it  was  all  he  could  do  but  stand  in  disbelief.  

         When  was  the  last  time  someone  had  said  such  a  thing ?  It  felt…  

         It  felt.  

         Lord  Vader  swallowed  thickly,  teeth  clenching  together  as  if  to  hold  back  some  torrent,  yet  all  that  came  were  a  few  strained  words  mercifully  saved  by  his  vocoder.  

         One  breath.  And  another.  A  single  fist  tightened  by  his  side,  rising  to  his  full  height  without  turning  to  face  his  intruder as the door hissed open  ❛❛ I  thought  I  had  made  it  crystal  clear... ❜❜  leaving  the  rest  of  his  sentence  to  an  anxious  imagination.