· Eleven ( Action/Video ) ·

[padme_amidala]

( There is a garden in front of House 46. Padmé has worked on it diligently, spending time each day tending to the flowers. There are days that she might spend too much time on them, actually, but everyone needs an escape and gardening is one of hers. )

My mother taught me how to build a garden. She said it was like a small world of its own.

( She buries her hands in the soil, letting it sift through her fingers. While some might view the soil as dirty, Padmé only sees life. Without a proper foundation, nothing can thrive. )

When I entered politics, I approached it with my heart and eyes open. Logic is absolutely necessary when representing or leading any group, yet I've found that empathy is also vital. If you cannot connect with those that need your guidance or protection, how can you give them advice or produce laws that better their lives?

( Pushing the soil around a trio of flower stems, she ensures the plants are steady. Their roots are taking hold and running deep. )

Each of us have different roots and our leaves and blooms are unique. I'd like to celebrate that by ensuring every voice is heard.

( Raising her eyes, her hair bound in a thick braid over one shoulder, she smiles faintly. )

What was your world like? What do you remember best about it?

Comments

[Action]

[spohkh]

[The Vulcan, only just having gotten over his kidnapping affect, has taken advantage of going on walks. On hearing Padme's video, he decides to go visit...]

You have a most impressive garden.

[Spock gives her a small smile. Long time no see.]

[Action]

[padme_amidala]

Spock! ( Talk about a sight for sore eyes! She beams and stands up, dusting her hands off on a towel. ) I haven't seen you in ages.

( Which might not be good. Her smile fades a little. )

Are you well?

Re: [Action]

[spohkh]

[The Vulcan nods.]

I am doing as well as can be expected... though I wonder, how are you? I was quite intrigued by your video.

[Spock doesn't really want to talk about how he actually feels. His Captain is missing, and he did nothing but play video games for the last three days.]

[Action]

[padme_amidala]

( She arches a brow at the answer, worry and confusion warring in her eyes. )

You are welcome to use me as a sounding board if you need someone to listen.

( Dusting off her hands, Padmé sighs. )

It's better for me to keep busy. I need to work on the foundation of my family.

( Which is what led to the metaphor in the original post. )

Video

[takesyoubytheheart]

My world's called the Disney Kingdom! It's a real friendly place, where everyone does their best ta help their neighbor out.

... And of course, the number one thing ta remember about it is my gal Minnie!

Video

[padme_amidala]

It sounds wonderful. Are there truly no foes? ( She has encountered peaceful places, but ones with no violence or criminal activity are unknown to her. ) Is she your significant other?

Video

[takesyoubytheheart]

We get the occasional bully, but even they're shown their place pretty quickly.

[he then chuckles, always glad to talk about best girl.]

Minnie's my wife! She's my heart and soul, the one I was meant for!

Video

[padme_amidala]

I could learn a great deal from your people. ( And gladly! If they hold the key to perpetual peace, she wants it. )

Have you been separated from her? ( That is an ache she knows all too well. ) There is nothing like marrying the one you love.

[Video]

[waterfell]

[The face is Ami's, although there's something different about her way of holding herself, and her voice seems smoother. The other changes from the Malnosso quickly become apparent as she talks about an experience that doesn't seem to resemble Ami's 20th century Earth at all.]

I remember the view of Earth from the Moon. [They all remember that, really: the small, blue crystal ball loved so much by their moon princess - and loved by them, too, for its true winds and waters.]

[Video]

[padme_amidala]

( There are many moons - though, judging my Ami's statement, only one orbits the planet Earth. )

I thought you were from Earth? ( The changes are obvious, though Padmé can't pinpoint where they originate. ) Are those on Earth capable of traveling through the stars?

[Video]

[waterfell]

No; I was born on planet Mercury and traveled to the Moon to become a guardian of the Moon Princess at the Moon Castle.

[What she doesn't say is just how young she was when she left her home and early life behind - it had its compensations in the love she found for her princess and comrades. What she doesn't realize is the life she lived long after this.]

[Video]

[padme_amidala]

This is the first time I'm hearing the name Mercury. ( It seems Ami's absence has changed her, which makes her curious. ) What is it like? Is it anything like Earth or the Moon?

( She tilts her head and bites the inside of her cheek. )

Who is the Moon Princess?

voice

[13sugars]

It looks lovely, miss.

[Almost wishes he could take up gardening but... Well he doesn't have much of a green thumb]

I remember the cafes open at noon and the fancy cakes they'd have out for sale with their tea.

voice

[padme_amidala]

Thank you. ( Things like gardening keep her busy and her mind still. Otherwise her thoughts wander and she is never given a true respite. ) Are you craving sweets?

voice

[13sugars]

It looks like it's a lot of work, you must have quite the green thumb.

Oh I don't think there's ever a point where I'm not craving sweets.

voice

[padme_amidala]

I've learned. It takes time and patience and I happen to have a surplus of both.

( She smiles a little. )

I haven't had something sweet in months. Would you like to visit one of the cafes?

[video] tw just in case: grim inquisition-y references

[relictusdeus]

[Which point is he to address? He's spoiled for choice.]

I remember panic and corruption and death. [Scarred lips pull into a smile all too calm, his gaze empty and unapologetic.] I remember humans turning on one another on a mere whisper of suspicion and the screams of false confessions wrenched from their throats in God's name. I remember mobs and the smell of burning flesh, the hatred in their eyes and the streets of their villages washed in blood.

[His roots are tangled and black and there's no part of him untouched by rot. There can't be, he thinks, not after this long. Julia was wrong.]

[video] :D Thanks!

[padme_amidala]

( His words call forth awful memories that she wants to forget. The screams of her people fighting...dying... Attending a funeral for a race that simply couldn't thrive so far from their home. The sound of her babies crying at the very moment she knows she can't be with them.

Nausea makes her face blanch of color and she covers her mouth with her hand. )

Then...

Is Luceti a refuge for you?

[video] no prob

[relictusdeus]

No.

[The answer is low and even, firm with a sense of certainty.]

There is nothing I have to fear or from which to flee. [Not anymore.] But all the same, Luceti to me is naught but another cage, and one far smaller than the last.

[Video]

[defieddracula]

My homeland was at war for quite some time, its people caught in the grip of a terrible evil. [A faint, but genuine smile disturbs his somber expression, his eyes wandering off-screen.] And yet there was still good to be found amid the ruins, should one choose to seek it out.

[Video]

[padme_amidala]

You have my sympathies. ( She frowns faintly, wondering if she should ask. ) What was the good you discovered?

[Video]

[defieddracula]

[He briefly dips his head, a silent means of accepting her condolences.] My wife, miss. [A pause, then. Though Hector's smile remains, sorrow glints at the edges of his eyes. When he finds his voice again, it comes with a subtle hoarseness that hadn't been there a mere moment before.] She proved to me that no matter how dark times may be, life carries on. The world may be warped by conflict, but flowers shall still bloom and new creatures will be born. Given time, plagues and violence will end, and dawn will come.

[And that any man can earn a second chance. Perhaps that's why he wound up in this place.]

[action]

[borntorebel]

I've never gardened but I admit that I find flowers peaceful.

[Leia's been watching her mother for a while. She spotted her on the way out and has since just been observing her silently, sadly. Now that she and Han are slowly repairing their relationship, Leia realizes that she wants the full package of her family.

She walks slowly, softly over to sit next to her mother, feeling the life in everything thanks to all the training she's been doing.]

What was grandmother like?

[action]

[padme_amidala]

I'm glad they've brought you some peace. ( Heavens knows, they need all the peace they can acquire. She glances up at Leia and dusts off her hands absent-mindedly. The wonder of seeing her daughter hasn't worn off and she doubts it ever will. )

She loves to cook. She is a fantastic cook, actually. Anyone who enters her home is fed.

( She smiles to herself, remembering her visit home with Anakin. )

Her manners are impeccable, but it's clear she knows everything that happens in her house. And, most of all, she has always supported me.

[action]

[borntorebel]

I've always loved gardens, but it was unseemly for the Crown Princess of Alderaan to do such things. Or so I was always told by everyone. And then there was the slightly creepy head gardener. He was enough to keep me and Winter away as little girls.

[Leia shakes her head at the memories. Life as a pampered princess was so easy and she'd hated it then. Except for her parents and best friend. They'd been perfect.]

She sounds wonderful. I wish I could've met her.