Dormé's hand tightened around hers, and Rush shot her a look of pure daggers, which she properly ignored, even managing to hide a small smirk when she caught the hint of fear flash through his eyes. She simply offered him a small, unapologetic shrug. After all, could she really have stopped Darth Vader anyway if he had truly wanted to enter? Of course, not! Vader did not respond directly to her invitation, which was expected, but he did move from his spot outside the doorway. The Sith took a step inside and made it across the room in four quick steps before pausing before the opposing man. Rush took an immediate step back as the Sith paused to challenge. Vader towered over everyone in the room and looked like the pure image of intimidation.
With the Sith so near, it was hard to feel anything but terror... except she felt something else again. Just barely. Like a small murmur. A sort of buzz that traveled from her chest all the way to her fingers. She wondered... Was this a manifestation of Vader's power? Was such power tangible with him being so near? There were mysteries always revolving around the dreaded Sith, but these mysteries didn't even hold an ion beam to those of Darth Vader. A man– or machine– or whatever he truly was, so powerful that he could wipe renowned Jedi from existence or destroy planets without so much as a single scratch. He was the faceless ghost of the Empire, and even with him right before her very eyes, it was hard to imagine him as anything other than a concocted nightmare. Could this Sith truly be real?
A laugh broke through her train of thought. Rush had seemingly conquered his fear, or at least controlled it enough to wear a solid look of arrogance. He took a swaggering step forward, moving closer to her and the Sith in the process. "You like to ruin the fun, don't you, Vader?" he nearly hissed with a chuckle. "But I wonder, is it because you hate seeing people happy or just because you're a major dick?"
Padmé took a deep breath, and she heard Dormé do the same, anticipating Lord Vader to unleash his wrath on the self-righteous man. She recalled the vision of Darth Vader tossing the nearly lifeless body across the length of the ballroom as if it weighed no more than a feather and braced for the most expensive painting just across her office to suffer the same fate as the one that adorned the Imperial wall. She expected Vader's outburst, his raw power on full display, his anger laid bare. She knew this man couldn't possibly survive a second encounter with the infamous Dark Lord, especially one as provocative as this; under the circumstances, she would keep her mouth shut. The broken bones and blood would be expected; the carnage, merely a hazard. Anything remotely dramatic or gory would be unavoidable. Dormé and she would simply have to hope to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
Except the Sith did something far worse. Nothing. He did nothing, and somehow, that was far more terrifying. Padmé felt the oncoming anticipation grow.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Rush continued with pure mockery, even circling the Sith in a display of feeble intimidation. "Did I hurt your feelings, Vader?" He paused to the Sith Lord's right, grinning like a deranged Gungan. Vader's silence only urged him on, pushing him to test the limits even further. "Strange," Rush laughed, victory evident in his voice. "I didn't know you even had feelings!" He burst into laughter, walking away and halting only when a voice boomed from behind him.
"I don't," Vader replied coldly, sending chills coursing through Padmé. " I'm simply astonished by your stupidity," Vader continued, releasing a small, sarcastic chuckle as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. Such denseness brings numerous hassles and misfortunes into your life.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rush snapped, turning back to the Sith.
"Ah," the Sith Lord replied, his voice frigid yet somehow amused, or at least as amused as a Sith Lord could be. "Yes, allow me to clarify my comment for your underdeveloped, primitive brain." The air seemed to drop even further in temperature as he continued. "Your stupidity blinds you," Vader growled, taking a step forward to tower over Rush Clovis. "You make idiotic decisions. Not only are you insulting me, which is a far greater mistake, but you are so obsessed with ludicrous fantasies of intercourse with the senator that you failed to notice her attempts to rid herself of your presence in her office."
Padmé felt her eyes dilate, and she had a sudden urge to melt into the floor. It seemed that even Darth Vader was more accustomed to such improper matters than she was, but the thought of Vader knowing such thingsparticularly things involving her- brought a certain unease and embarrassment boiling in her belly.
"You liar!" Rush yelled, visibly flustered as he glanced between Padmé and the Sith. "You're lying! She... I mean, Senator, I would never imagine–"
"Please!" Vader retorted, now circling his prey. "You've been practically screaming your pitiful fantasies since you first entered the Senate's north entrance. I can hear them as clearly as I hear you now." Vader paused, turning back to Rush, his body radiating dominance. "Rather provocative… dirty thoughts, wouldn't you agree?"
Rush's face flushed with embarrassment, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly, and if it were possible, steam would be pouring from his ears.
Dormé laughed at his reaction with a soft, agreeable chuckle. The woman appeared to regain her composure, and even Vader seemed to be enjoying the man's flustered state. Padmé felt a bit out of place, caught between her discomfort and underlying curiosity. She hated being involved in such a situation, especially given the topic at hand, but she couldn't deny her intrigue.
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