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You look very lovely in your garb but

[ Nobody asked for your opinion, Snow. Also, that's it. That's the text. ]

Edited (meant to hit preview but welp) 2020-07-01 05:09 (UTC)

But what? Is something wrong with it?

[ Has he become... fashion-aware? ]

No, it's just
It's very distracting.

[ Does that count? Why do you love to wear crop tops in Naboo anyway? ]

It seemed to me to fit both the weather and the occasion? It's warm here. No one's making you look, anyway.

[ Not really meant to be sassy, but - who has a problem with wearing climate-appropriate clothing, anyway? Maybe it is meant to be a little sassy. He shouldn't be looking at her like that, anyway. ]

I'm not looking. They are.

[ He should neither be looking nor jealous, but. ]

People generally look at me when I'm speaking to them or otherwise engaged in human interaction, yes.

[ An obvious eye-roll. ]

Is there a problem? Security-related?

On your 2 o'clock. I don't trust the way he's looking at you.

[ He doesn't like the way the said man is looking at her but, you know, he has to keep this professional. ]

[ Oh, is that the problem? Doubtful. To emphasize this point, she has no issue approaching said 2 o'clock threat, making light, friendly conversation, and then dismissing herself to deliver her findings. ]

He's a politician. I think it's more that you have a problem with politicians than the way you think he's looking at me. Anyone else you need me to investigate for you?

That's not what I meant...

[ How can he even hope to explain this? ]

You deserve more respect than that, that's all.

What do you mean, then?

[ Okay, maybe sometimes it's obvious that people aren't looking at what she's wearing with an eye of fashionable appreciation. Not that it should concern him any, right? But it is thoughtful that he notices. ]

I can take care of myself, you know. But I'm not changing how I dress for anyone, and I'm not afraid of them. Besides, I have you here.

I know that you can take care of yourself. And you shouldn't change anything about yourself for anyone. You're beautiful and strong and there's so much to admire about you.

[ It can still be read as an objective assessment right? Depending on the recipient of the message. So he's just going to hide behind that, while silently wallowing in the warmth that comes from her saying I have you here. ]

[ For as perpetually kind and generous as he is, there is still something startling about it, something that blooms as heat in her cheeks. But it's just a courtesy, right? Professionally polite. Maybe choosing something else to talk about would be wise. ]

I'm not entirely convinced that you're safe, though. You've also been drawing attention, I've noticed.

I am?

[ It still does not compute that anyone would find him attractive. That night was because of the wine. Or so he keeps telling himself. ]

Well, green does say 'go' instead of 'stay away'.

[ Because he's not wearing black. He's not been for a while, after she's basically spring-cleaned his wardrobe. The last time he wore black was... well... ]

[ Green certainly does say go. It is, however, immediately clear that it would be dangerous to let her imagination lope off in that direction. As it does: Go, as in approach, as in closer, as in yes. Green was a wonderfully magnificent and terribly sabotaging decision. But, more generically - ]

I think the green was a splendid idea. There’s no better color to wear here, after all. It makes you look very approachable.

[ More so than the black, and while of course black is useful when it comes to discreet security, it also had a certain sharpness to it. A certain danger. A darkness that only she knew was safe to approach. Like deep night that she had once veered too close to. But she could never admit to missing the black. It was best not to be reminded of moon-splashed midnight visions, anyway. ]

Just don’t make yourself too approachable. You’ll never hear the end of what some of these people have to say.

[ That, and she’s not particularly fond of the idea of him being swallowed up by a crowd. She likes having him in sight. ]

[ It's not even an outrageous outfit or anything, but he's uncomfortable enough, anyway. As though anything but black deactivates the body armor of invisibility he's taken to protecting himself with. ]

I don't want to be approached.

[ He's never been an eloquent speaker. He's even worse at small talk. But beyond that is what he leaves unsaid: I only want to be approached by you.

Something about what she says makes him pause, though. And he's not sure why or what manner of feelings her words have stirred in him, because then he can't stop himself from jesting: ] Would you rescue me, then?

[ It is a rather eye-catching ensemble. But he tends to draw attention in anything he wears - he naturally carries various styles well. An objective observation. She tries not to confirm it with too many furtive sideways glances.

But - he doesn't want to be approached? By anyone? She almost feels a pang of disappointment until his words seem to take on a more jesting tone. It's a question that she doesn't need to think twice about. ]

Yes. I would have no choice. That's what wolves do for one another, right?

[ Wolves are loyal. And they are their own sort of small duo of a pack, right? Bonded, in a way. Professionally. For security purposes. ]

Although if you would teach me how to use your lightsaber, I would be better equipped to protect you. Not that I'm opposed to using my bare hands.

[ Um, a fumbling clarification. ]

I mean, to protect you.

[ A pack of wolves. He really likes the thought of that. ]

Aye, they do.

[ There's a furrow of his brow that's probably visible from where she's standing, though. ] A lightsaber?

[ She might think it's a no, because it takes a while for him to say anything more, but... he's thinking about it. While lightsabers are normally associated with the Jedi, in Westeros nearly all the noble Houses and ancient families, Force users or not, have lightsabers for ancestral weapons. Even the men of the Night's Watch — and not all of them are Jedi — use lightsabers. So there's really no reason for her not to have one of her own. A shoto, perhaps. Or a saber pistol. ]

It won't be easy. You will need to train hard, and acquire your own crystal.

[ And, just to clarify: ] With my supervision, of course.

[ Maybe too presumptive? Lightsabers are reserved for Jedi, as everyone knows, but what about in Westeros? There is plenty he has taught her about the history of his homeworld and that distant region that doesn’t appear on any map she knows, but there is plenty more to learn still. It’s never as simple as it seems. And even if it was – why shouldn’t she be able to learn? From someone with the recognized authority to wield one, of course.

Even so, for a moment it looks like it might be a no – from where she stands, the furrow in his brow is as visible as the shadow of a crater, and his silence almost leaves her no choice but to begin mourning an opportunity she never had. But, as is often the case, his silence seems to have been indicating only deep thought, not refusal. So it’s impossible not to break into a bright smile. ]

Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. But I’m patient. [ Sort of, sometimes. Depending on the situation. ] I can do it. I want to do it! But where do I find a crystal? [ Or, maybe multiple crystals, if that’s permissible – for different colors, right? Because that’ll be necessary. Then, without waiting for an answer or sparing a thought for how it might fit in with their plans logistically: ] We'll go? You’ll show me?

[ As much as he would like to forbid her from ever attempting such a dangerous endeavor, he can't help but smile at her enthusiasm. How could he possibly refuse her now? He doesn't want to disappoint her, doesn't want to smother that joy he can feel even with the distance between them.

He seems to be typing an awful lot, but when his reply finally arrives, it's a simple: ] Do you want to go now?

[ But it looks like he's been searching, because his next message is a set of coordinates to the Naboo Cave. ]

We can start there.

[ Typing, typing, typing … maybe this is where the ‘no’ comes in? Too dangerous after all? No feasible way to fit it into their itinerary? Anything at all that could begin to tug on the threads of doubt? One glance in his direction is all she allows herself, and then it’s back to acting as if she’s more invested in the business of mingling than she is in waiting for his official answer. When it does come, and her attention flies back down to what it had never really left in the first place, the simplicity is enough to leave her breathless. Now? ]

Oh, yes! Let’s go!

[ What adventure, after all, has ever been more tempting? And when will she ever have such an opportunity again? Escorted by a real Jedi on a search for a lightsaber crystal – the excitement is radiant. Doubly so when the set of coordinates that arrives in her hands is here, on Naboo. As if the stars have, as they so rarely do, and never more than metaphorically, aligned. ]

I can’t believe you’re really going to take me. Are you even really allowed to?

Don't you want to change into a proper crystal scavenging attire first?

[ Sorry, he can't resist teasing. He can almost feel her excitement from where he's standing, and he can't help looking through the crowd, at her, and smiling softly. ]

Allowed to what? Teach you how to use a lightsaber? Help you make one? Why not?

[ Well… he might be right. What she’s wearing right now was designated for one occasion, and crystal-hunting is certainly another. Which begs the question: what does one wear for crystal-hunting? The options are dazzling and manifold, which is terrible, because if she gets caught up deciding what to wear, they might not ever go at all. ]

I appreciate your concern, but I think this will work, won’t it?

[ Sure it will. It can’t be too rigorous of an adventure, can it? And she’s still distracted, anyway, by whether or not this particular adventure is condoned in the first place, even if she’s already beginning to politely remove herself from the current gathering. ]

Because I don’t really have a need for one, not like you do. I don’t want to disrespect it, or the Jedi, or you.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[ It could work, he supposes, since he's going to be there do any heavy lifting for her anyway, but... it's still a very distracting attire.

What she says next gives him pause, though. She's thoughtful, truly; even in her excitement she manages to consider such things, and he appreciates that about her. ]

Many Westerosi Houses have lightsabers for their ancestral swords. It will not be a disrespect.
Besides, you'll know if you're not meant to wield one. The crystal won't call out to you.

[ It'll work. It's plenty breathable, and that's probably important while clambering through a cave, right? Plus, maybe she's enjoying the way he's been looking at it.

She is, however, concerned about his generosity now bringing him dishonor in some way later. That's not something she's willing to accept, and if it means sacrificing the possibility of ever constructing a lightsaber of her own, then it's the price that will be paid.

But that isn't what she's hearing, and the explanation she's provided is met with a tilt of her head. She has no ancestral claim to the revered weapon, either, but if the real test is whether or not the crystal itself will call out to her, then she will trust it. Something she can lightly tease about as she meanders her way back over to where he stands. ]

I do hope I'm worthy, because I think I'm going to need several crystals.

[ Excuse you he's not been looking ~~that much, anyway~~.

But who said she had no claim? If she'd been born a Westerosi, she would've been from a noble family, and they would have had a lightsaber, passed down from one generation to the next, even if no one would actually use it. Just as his family had one, just like the saber he's currently carrying.

He makes a face at her for that last comment, though his fingers continue to type up and eventually send his response. ]

One in every color, I'd imagine.

Edited (i cannot words this morning why) 2020-07-07 02:33 (UTC)

sometime after that night they're pretending didn't happen i guess? lmfao

night? what night? >_>

softly sparring night lmfao

you have no proof that night was real... !

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there will come a day he'll realize there are other ways to use "lightsaber" in a conversation lmfao

and they'll both realize it with shook pikachu face lmfao

and then we'll have a proper sexting thread lmfao

it's a precarious build up okay eheheh

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