"Senator," Vader snapped, pulling Padmé back to reality and making her aware that she had been staring.
Realizing their closeness again, Padmé immediately took a small step back, feeling very diminutive as she looked away. They stood in silence for a moment while Padmé's mind struggled to process what had occurred, still clouded and now also perplexed by her actions. Her gaze drifted over the lifeless body of the dead man, the weight of what had nearly happened settling heavily on her.
"He didn't love me," Padmé whispered unconsciously, overwhelmed by thoughts that needed to be spoken aloud. She had heard of such acts: men taking women against their will, men raping women, or even the reverse, but she had never been an almost victim of such a crime. She couldn't understand it; it always seemed like something that occurred in less modern cities, not in a place like Coruscant. Her home– her life- had been a happy one, despite the various challenges her planet had faced during her reign. She had been attacked, both physically and mentally, but never had anyone tried to take her maidenhood.
"What?"
"He didn't love me," Padmé repeated softly, her gaze fixed on the lifeless body of her assailant.
She felt a pressure in her mind before Vader provided her with an unexpected answer. "Love and sex do not correspond with each other," he stated bitterly, as if he understood the issue that had arisen in her thoughts. "You are foolish to believe otherwise."
It still did not provide her with clarity. She was reluctant to believe him. The sentence contradicted her established beliefs and sense of self-worth. She had been raised in an environment that was too just and too proper for such acts, likely unlike the Sith before her. She could only imagine the things he had witnessed in his lifetime while she lived in a protective bubble. It wasn't that she did not see the truth in his statement, but rather that she could not accept it for herself. To her, sex was an act of love, not one of greed or mere desire. While the action certainly held pleasure, it had to occur within a relationship– or so she desired for herself. She had a sense of realism, yet she still clung to the values of her childhood, values that the cold and heartless galaxy had not yet stripped away from her...
"There was no love in his thoughts, Senator," Vader growled to emphasize his point. "His intentions were unmistakable."
It was a harsh statement to her, yet one that set the gears within her mind spinning. The buzz in her thoughts prevented the negative ideas from continuing; her train of thought shifted to a more intriguing topic. "You believe sex has nothing to do with love?" Padmé asked innocently, sounding like a helpless yet intoxicated schoolgirl.
"Correct," Vader replied calmly, preparing to turn away.
"So, is that why you allow sex?"
He paused mid-turn, completely caught off guard by her question. "Excuse me?" he asked, his shock evident. He clearly thought he had misheard her.
Padmé giggled, her drunken state overwhelming her. "Sex," she repeated, then turned to him with serious eyes. " Sith don't love; they only engage physically, not emotionally."
Vader stared at her, his gaze intense and filled with an unidentifiable emotion. "I've never," he hissed softly, a blend of anger and astonishment in his voice. "Had someone make such a–" "You provided that information," Padmé pressed, feeling no fear and disregarding his growing anger. "I'm merely stating–"
"You're drunk," he snapped. "Very annoyingly so."
Padmé gave him a look and shook her head. "You mentioned something about me," she said, raising a questioning eyebrow. "I'm merely asking about you."
"Your blend of trauma and intoxication has provided you with an illusion of courage," Vader declared. "The crash will arrive soon enough."
She was drunk– more than she realized- but she also wasn't as intoxicated as Vader believed. The liquid affected her senses and mind, causing her to act in ways she usually wouldn't... but she couldn't stop. "Then there's no reason not to tell me," Padmé retorted swiftly. "I won't remember–" "Senator," Vader snapped, his tone urging Padmé to change the topic. She did not argue but sensed that something was wrong. A sensation swirled around her, one she couldn't explain.
"Pad–Am– Ami- dala!" Dormé's voice yelled from behind the closed door, catching Padmé's attention. As her gaze turned away from the Sith, the door swung open, and Dormé stumbled outside. "Th–there you areee," Dormé slurred, still drunk but clearly upset. "Where the hell've you been?"
With a shred of sanity, Padmé glanced at her drunken friend before shifting her gaze to the body beside her. Dormé's eyes followed Padmé's, absorbing the scene with a shocked expression, even in her intoxicated state. "What the– what the hell happened?"
Even with her concern and shock, Padmé was honestly more upset with the woman she considered a friend than with the man she viewed as an enemy. Dormé was supposed to protect her– had promised to do so- while she expected nothing from a lowlife man. Padmé's face fell immediately, disappointment washing over her and amplifying her undeniable need to distance herself from her friend. She glanced back at Vader, someone who surprisingly hadn't disappointed her, only to be met with the sight of the dark alley.
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