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deejadabbles · 10 months

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The Handmaiden's Fox (Commander Fox x Reader) Chapter Two

Summary: You have been by Amidala’s side since she was the queen of Naboo and no one will shake you from your duty. Not even a handsome, red-clad commander who seems quite taken with the friendship you’ve forged. Commander Fox x fem handmaiden reader. Slow burn, friends to lovers. Rating: Mature A.N: This chapter is mostly focused on building the "foundations" of everything, setting things into motion for you and the dear commander, but I hope it's still an entertaining chapter. Jacen and Tiio are OCs that I made for this series and I have...plans for them in later chapters, so I'd keep an eye on them if I were you 💗 Word Count: 6,814 Chapter Warnings: None

Prologue /// Part One /// Part Two /// [part three coming soon]

“I’m losing my touch,” your tone was quite petulant as you threw yourself on the settee, which caused Dormé to flash you a smile.

“And what makes you say that, my dear?” she asked, not taking her attention off the sewing in her hands.

You closed your eyes, remembering just how vibrant your reaction had been during the… incident yesterday. Fox had seemed like such a good ally one moment- then the next was treating you like some common criminal, like the ones you had just felled! You weren’t sure if anyone blamed you, or even took note of your pure anger in that moment, but you had.

So, sitting here in the comfort of the sewing room in Padmé’s apartment with your friend, you could hardly bare the memory.

“I used to be so good at hiding myself, and my emotions whenever I was on the job, no matter what was thrown at me. I could stare down the angriest politician or bulking battle droid without so much as a crease in my brow. Now look at me? Shouting at that Commander like some banshee.” Another dramatic sigh, comforted by the fact that this home was one of the only places you could truly be yourself, “What’s wrong with me, Dormé?” You opened your eyes and turned your head to look at her, hands folding over your chest.

You did not miss the way she was smirking, eyes darting up to you for just a moment even as she continued sewing. “If you want my opinion as your colleague, I’d say you’re simply getting fed up with the stoicism of your position. You have been at this for over a decade, that’s a long time to keep up such an unyielding, specific standard.”

That made a little sense. Things were not nearly as restrictive as a senator’s handmaiden as they had been when you were a queen’s handmaiden, but, that hadn’t stopped you from performing the same level of care and stoicism whenever you were beside Padmé or working on her behalf. No one, not even Padmé herself would blame you for taking it easy on that front.

Still, a part of you felt like there was something more to your recent slip ups. Something, a more recent development that was pushing the limits of your professional mask.

“And, if I were to ask your opinion as my friend instead?” You asked.

“Oh, that’s easy. Commander Fox has gotten under your skin and you don’t like it.”

You scoffed, “What? Gotten under my skin how?”

Again she did not look away from her stitches, “Think about it: you’ve met someone who’s as hard to read as you, who takes even less none-sense than you, expects just as much excellence as you, and every bit as unyielding as you. You’ve finally met a man who can keep up with you, and it’s thrown you off balance. And that has gotten under your skin, my friend. That is a large part of why you’ve found it harder to keep that emotionless facade in check.”

Your mouth opened, intending to debate the analysis, but no words came to mind. Dormé was rarely wrong, something you had always admired about her, so perhaps… In truth, you almost never met someone outside of Padmé’s staff that impressed you. Truly, impressed you, that is. You admired others, certainly, saw their strength or kindness, their wisdom or passion, admired individuals for how they made up the unique galaxy. You valued others for who they were. But, impressed you? That was usually reserved for the high standards of those you worked with.

It was a fault of yours, to be sure, your own Naboo-based pride being something of a work in progress ever since you came to Coruscant all those years ago. So, a clone commander who had no ties to your people meeting your standards unexpectedly? You saw her point.

“I think my colleague and my friend are both right,” you conceded eventually.

Dormé hummed in approval. “So, since he meets our impossible standards, we’ll have to find a way to gain him as an ally, like you mentioned before. He would be a powerful contact to add to your collection.”

She was right again. Weeks ago, after your first encounter with Fox, you had mentioned wanting to gain his trust, seeing the value in having someone of his position and loyalty on your list of allies.

However, now, the thought of treating him as just another contact made you a little uneasy.

You had heard the way so many others in the senate talked about the clones, as if they were…sub-human, no more feeling than their birth numbers. The last thing you wanted was to treat him like a tool to be used, no matter how useful his position could be to your inner spy.

“I’m not against having him as a potential contact, but… I think that I would like to become his friend first.”

Dormé actually looked up at you then, eyebrows raised. “My, he truly must have impressed you if that’s the case. We both know ‘friends’ are a luxury here on Coruscant, especially now.”

Another long sigh, you wanted to reply, but were too lost in pondering the weight of your own words as she finished her sewing.

“Alright, enough talk about the Commander,” Dormé said in a mock of a business tone, “Up up, let’s see how this looks.” She rose from her chair shaking out the cape she had been mending.

You did as asked, jumping up and walking towards one of the full length mirrors in the room as she came up behind you. She draped the elegant cloth around your shoulders, smoothing it out as you fastened the elegant silver clasp at the throat.

“As always, my friend, you have done exquisite work,” you praised, turning this way and that in the mirror, “not even I can tell where the vibro blade tore through.”

“Hm, just do me a favor? Next time you want to practice combat in full handmaiden attire, wear one of the tecklon weave capes? At least those are blade resistant.”

“But that was the point, I wore this one to incentivize me not to get stabbed.”

In the mirror, Dormé raised her eyebrow at you, “I would think not getting stabbed should be its own incentive.”

“It should be, but it’s not nearly as fun.”

She laughed at that when you waggled your eyebrows back at her in the glass, but if she was going to say anything further, it was cut off when both your comlinks went off at the same time.

At this time of day, that probably meant one thing, and that was an ‘over dinner meeting’ being called. Those had become fewer and fewer over the years, as Padmé tried her best to give everyone their evenings to themselves, but it was hardly a rare occurrence. A part of you welcomed it tonight, though, the ‘meetings’ were always very casual, full of good food and playful banter between everyone who had worked together for so long. It was a camaraderie that you were missing more and more.

Since you and Dormé were already in the apartment, you took it upon yourselves to order the food and arrange the main room for everyone. Cushions and throw blankets were plentiful and opening a few choice windows allowed for a pleasant breeze to creep in. The buzz of city life filtered through just enough for some distant white noise, but not enough to be overwhelming.

As expected, Padmé and the others arrived soon enough, and all your lady had to do was give that weary look the moment she stepped in the door. You and Dormé were ushering her into her dressing room in an instant, deftly working together to get her out of the regal gown and into something light and flowing.

While you worked at getting the elaborate array of pins out of her hair, and Dormé removed her makeup, Padmé finally spoke.

“Do you think there’s enough food to invite Jacen and Tiio to join us?” she asked, referring to the two Corrie Guards who were on “Amidala duty” this time of day.

You and Dormé shared a brief look before you said, “There should be, but the real question is whether they’ll allow themselves to eat with us. Commander Fox has them adhere to protocol rather strictly from what I can tell.”

Neither of you had to ask why she brought it up, if it was in her interest to tell you, she would. Thankfully, she was interested.

“I think we should ask them anyway. There are several things I want us to talk about, but, at the top of the list is dealing with that 187-24 debacle. I had hoped they would give us some insight on how to make amends with Commander Fox.”

“Not to mention they deserve some good food after chasing you around at senator Kreen’s event all afternoon,” Dormé grinned. Kreen was a decent man, but, was always moving, and liked to sweep Padmé along with him wherever he went during his events. The clone guards had definitely gotten their work out today.

By then, Padmé was far more comfortable and ready to settle down in the main room. The timing couldn’t have been better, just as the three of you were coming out of the dressing room, some of the household staff were bringing in the feast.

While the other two took grateful seats on the sofas, you continued through the room, to the large doors where the troopers were standing guard just on the other side.

As always the men in red were standing at attention, their posture so straight, and arms so firm as they held their rifles, they could have been statues. They didn’t dare acknowledge you entering for fear of breaking their perfect stature, not until you addressed them.

“Senator Amidala would be very pleased if you joined us for our meal,” you said in a pleasant tone, having loosened your own posture quite a bit.

The helmeted heads turned very slightly towards one another.

“That would be against protocol, ma’am,” the one on the right, Tiio, answered.

You let yourself smile, “As I understand it, you’ve already secured the perimeter, swept the interior for breaches, and scanned the staff upon your return. With all of that taken care of, you two are free to guard any room you believe best protects the senator. I see no reason why the best place isn’t in the same room as her, especially at her request.”

There was a single beat of silence, then Jacen actually shrugged. “She’s got a point.”

You saw the way Tiio hesitated for just a moment, the way his back straightened up again the second it started to slack. “We wouldn’t be able to for long…”

“Just a quick bite, then you two can come right back to your posts if you wish.”

Tiio gave one glance at his brother, then finally nodded. “I think a quick break should be okay.”

You only gave a satisfied smile as you swept back into the main room, leaving the two men to follow in your wake. Everyone gave a companionable greeting to them, Typho even jumping up from his seat and waving for them to sit near him and Dormé. They declined, of course, but at least took off their helmets when Padmé herself handed them plates to fill.

You had seen a couple of troopers without their helmets by now, though it was very rare. The few you had seen hadn’t had any difference in their hair styles or any other feature, Tiio was no different. Standard, perfectly kempt haircut and nothing else that might stand out. Jacen on the other hand, while his hair seemed in order, there, peeking up from the collar of his undershirt, was the symbol of the Coruscant Guard. News from the front said that the clones were gaining their individuality fast now that they weren’t under the constant supervision of the Kaminoans, and you supposed tattoos were a good means of expressing that.

By the time you took your own seat, Jacen had already taken some samples of the dishes spread out on the table, leaving Tiio to look hesitant again. In way of an encouraging nudge, you told him that the nerf-fry dish was an especially good dish.

“So, are you going to tell us the real reason we’re in here,” Jacen said rather suddenly, causing his brother to gape at him.

As the rest of you gave each other glances, Typho actually laughed. “Always observant, aren’t you?”

Jacen shrugged, “It’s pretty obvious you have something you want to talk about, or else you would have just had her bring us food, like she did on our first night here. So go on, what is it?”

“Jacen,” Tiio hissed, obviously appalled by his brother’s rudeness.

Then, Padme smiled, “It’s alright, Tiio, I always encourage those around me to speak their mind. And, he’s not wrong. We want your opinions on something.”

Tiio straightened up, even as Jacen piled some food on his plate, “What can we help with, ma’am.”

“Well, I’m sure you heard about our run in with your Commander.”

“You mean when he found out your aides carry un-permitted blasters?” Jacen said around a mouth full of food.

Padmé did not miss a beat, “Yes. You see, we’ve already taken official steps to rectify the mistake, all of my handmaidens have submitted forms to be registered as personal guards. But, there’s more to it than that. We’ve caused problems for Commander Fox, and want to make a greater show of our cooperation.”

Jacen cut in yet again, “Basically, you want to get back on his good side.”

“That’s a…simple way to put it, but, yes, among other things.”

“For what it’s worth,” Tiio finally spoke up, “I don’t think Commander Fox is that angry. It just means more paperwork for him. And he has to show some sort of follow up to the incident, which has to go through official channels for warrants and all that, so, even more paperwork.”

“We may be able to help with that,” you said, an idea coming to mind. “You say he has to get warrants for his follow up, what kind of warrants?”

“Search and seizure, probably. You know, he’ll come search your residence, make sure there’s nothing else unsanctioned going on. It’s all just a show to make sure he’s doing his due diligence, I doubt he thinks he’ll actually find anything.”

You met eyes with Padmé and Dormé, a silent understanding passing between you. “And what if we offered to let him do that search without the warrant?”

Tiio smiled a little, “That would definitely cut down on the paperwork.”

“Which would help his grump levels,” Jacen added.

Padmé smirked at that, “Well, hopefully we can ease those 'grump levels'. Thank you, both of you, you’ve been a great help. And please, stay, eat with us for as long as you like.”

‘As long as they liked’ turned out to be about three more minutes, before Tiio anxiously said that they needed to get back to their post. You assured both of them that their secret snack session was safe with everyone, Fox would never know.

When they were back beyond the door, Dormé finally gave her thoughts. “We should check with everyone, make sure all the staff are comfortable with the search, and if they are, we’ll go to the Commander with our offer.”

“If they are, I’ll meet with Fox,” you offered, “I've dealt with him one on one a few times now, he may be more amiable with me.”

Dormé gave you a knowing look, but said nothing, especially since Padmé said a final, “It’s settled then, we’ll get everyone’s consent tonight, then you can go to him tomorrow if it's all set.”

There were a lot of other things to discuss that night, and so the topic moved on. However, even as you gave your advice and solutions on the other issues, your mind would sometimes drift back to the commander. Hopefully, this show of good faith would result in Fox trusting you, or at least, getting back in his good graces. You hoped.

Fox’s cup of caf was paused half way to his lips. He had intended on enjoying his morning caf in peace, but instead, he was interrupted by something making horrendous, guttural snorts.

“What, the kriff, is that thing.”

Hound was on the ground with it, helmet off, scratching at the thing’s chin, and cooing at it like it was a baby.

“This,” Hound hefted the creature up into his arms then shoved it towards Fox, “is Grizzer! The newest member of the Coruscant Guard,” he announced with pride. “Isn’t she adorable?”

The thing in question was still making those disgusting snorting sounds as it lashed it’s gigantic tongue out at Fox. He narrowed his eyes at the massiff and took in the creature’s scaly skin, jagged teeth, and stubby feet. If he looked really (really) hard...Fox could suppose that the thing could be in the ‘so ugly it’s cute’ category-

Then it promptly snorted and blew snot on his chest plate.

Nope, it was definitely just regular ugly.

“Why is it here?” Fox lifted his mug high into the air as it- Grizzer, tried to stick her snout in it. The guard’s break room was one of the few places he could find peace, the last thing Fox needed was a massiff tearing the place apart and shedding it’s scales everywhere.

Hound gave Fox the smallest of glares as he held the beast a little tighter, “She’s here because I want her to meet the gang! After all, she’s part of the family now, isn’t that right my good girl?”

Fox gave the pair a look of utter disgust as Hound placed a kiss on the massiff’s forehead like a doting mother. Thankfully, Hound set the creature down then, and straightened up to grin back at Fox.

“Don’t worry, she’ll melt your heart soon too, sir.”

“I highly doubt that,” he deadpanned, and was about to tell Hound to find somewhere else to bond with the beast- when the creature in question stiffened suddenly.

Grizzer’s head turned toward the little hall that led to the break room door, narrowed her eyes, then shot off towards the door with a bark.

Hound and Fox gave each other a short look before taking off after the massiff. Just before he rounded the corner, Fox’s ears prickled at the sound of a small laugh and the words, “Well, hello there,” in a voice he was starting to get familiar with.

The moment they entered the hall, Fox laid eyes on Grizzer, wagging the whole bottom half of her body with delight while you, bent to one knee, gave her little scratches under the chin.

“My my, aren’t you a handsome creature?” you cooed, face more soft than Fox had yet to see. “Are you here to protect our loyal troops from bad guys? I bet you are.”

Hound nudged Fox’s arm with a stupid grin, “See? Grizzer can melt anyone’s heart.”

You finally tore your eyes away from the massiff (who looked like she was falling in love with you right there) and nodded at the two of them, “Grizzer, is it? What a perfect name. And yours, trooper?”

“Hound, ma’am,” the Sergeant replied with delight, and Fox narrowed his eyes at his brother’s suddenly low, intimate tone. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine,” you said, and finally rose back to a standing position, much to Grizzer’s dismay, though she obediently came to Hound’s side with a whistle. You nodded at Fox, “Commander, I apologize for intruding, but, when I expressed my need to see you, Commander Thorn escorted me back here.”

You waved a hand over your shoulder, and it was only then that he realized Thorn was leaning against the door frame. The other man might have had his helmet on, but something told Fox there was a shit eating grin behind it. Thorn had listened to many of Fox’s rants regarding the Amidala situation, and a majority of the rants included you. Thorn must be loving that he delivered a headache right into his break room.

He had not had enough caf to deal with all this.

It was then that Fox noticed the way your eyes were taking in his face. This would be the first time you’d seen him with his helmet, though he wasn’t sure why he cared, considering his face was the same as all clones. Under your gaze though, he felt oddly…exposed. As if you were taking apart every inch of him for inspection, as if you could read everything about him like a page from a book. He had a sudden urge to run back to his office if only to get his bucket back on his head.

“What brings you here, ma’am?” He asked suddenly, ignoring the strange awkwardness he felt.

“A peace offering,” you answered, polite as always. “Considering the…trouble we caused you with the 187-24 violation, Senator Amidala wants to show her cooperation. We invite you to search her apartments and staff quarters for anything else that might be against these new regulations. We have no intention of causing you anymore trouble, Commander, and hope that this will be a gesture of good faith.”

‘No intentions of causing trouble’ sure, Fox would believe that when he saw it. Still, he supposed it was a good offer on your end. He didn’t honestly believe that you or the others meant anything ill-intentioned, you were all just stuck in the old ways and were adjusting to the new rules. And here you were, offering to make his job easier. He supposed he could appreciate the, what had you called it? Peace offering?

“That’s very considerate of you- er, Senator Amidala, I mean. When would you be available for the search?”

“Tomorrow, 1700 hours?”

He thought for a moment, his week’s schedule flipping through his mind like a card wheel. He usually just spent that time catching up on paperwork in his office and…he had a sneaking suspicion that you knew that, and was exactly why you suggested it.

“That should work,” was all he offered in reply.

“Excellent,” you bowed your head again, “I won’t take up anymore of your time, Fox, please have a pleasant evening, we will see you tomorrow.”

A nod towards Hound, a short wave of fingers at a smiling Grizzer, and a bow to Thorn, without another word, you were gone in a sweep of your elegant cape.

“Kriff, she’s pretty,” Hound whistled.

“What?” Fox snapped, finally taking another sip of caf from his mug.

“He Said,” Thorn started in a much too loud voice, “She’s Pretty! You never mentioned that all the times you bitched about her.”

“Will you shut up?” Fox hissed, “She can probably still hear you.” With the way you always seemed to know everything, Fox thought you must have had ears like a bothan bat. “Besides, Hound thinks anything with a pulse is pretty,” he took another drink, “hence why he likes that thing,” he waved the mug at Grizzer, who tilted her head and let out a little whine.

“Don’t feel bad, Grizzy,” Thorn comforted in a simpering tone, “Foxy is just mad because that pretty little natborn is giving him more than he can chew.”

Fox let out a long, suffering sigh and turned on his heel, “I’m going back to my office, don’t bother me unless you want a face full of hot caf.”

The next day went by at a crawl, and Fox couldn’t tell if it was because of trepidation or anticipation.

Trepidation because he still wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when he got to the Amidala residence that evening. This wasn’t exactly the typical raid he performed on common criminals, after all. Then there was anticipation because at least the event would break the energy-draining tedium of the day’s duties. He was starting to dislike the middle of the week, it was always the most boring.

So, after his patrol was done, tomorrow’s schedule was posted, and he threw in a surprise bunk inspection just for fun, Fox found it hard to concentrate on paperwork while the chrono ticked by.

He would shuffle through a list of senatorial requests, then realize he was replaying yesterday’s conversation with you over in his head for the twentieth time that day. Then he’d manage to file several incident reports, only to find his mind wandering to thoughts of what he might find during the odd search.

Finally, when he couldn’t even finish one sentence of Stone’s prisoner transfer report without thinking of how unruly Amidala’s staff might get with him, he stood from his desk abruptly.

It was still twenty minutes before he even had to think about leaving for the apartment, but, maybe showing up a little early would work in his favor.

Fox shoved his helmet back on his head as he strode out of his office and turned down the hallway to the break room. Just as expected, because Fox demanded nothing less from his men, Jacen and Tiio were already there in anticipation for their watch shift. He had told them yesterday that they would help him conduct the search in addition to their normal guard detail.

The brothers were at ease, sitting at one of the few tables in the room and sipping the sludge that Thorn thought passed for caf in order to wake up after resting from their last shift. Of course, the moment Fox stepped in they were snapping to attention, caf mugs forgotten on the table as they stood straight before their CO.

“We’re leaving for Senator Amidala’s apartment now.”

“Yes, sir!” was all they said before grabbing their buckets and falling in step behind him.

The commander briefly thought about comming ahead, to warn the staff that he was already on his way, but in the end, he told himself the surprise was a good strategy on his part. Just like the last few times he had visited, Captain Typho met him on the landing platform.

“Commander Fox, you’re earlier than we expected.”

“Is that a problem, Captain?” he asked as he and his men hopped down from the transport.

To his surprise, Typho smiled. “Not at all,” he waved a gracious arm to invite them inside, “the entire staff are already waiting in the main room, ready for the inspection.”

That made him grumble a little under his breath, here he had been hoping to see them scramble a little. He should have expected this from the tight-worked, well-oiled machine that was Amidala’s staff.

He also should have known better than to worry about them being difficult for him. Her staff had always shown him the utmost respect and courtesy, even the stern opinionated ones like you and Dormé. Everyone, including the senator herself, was waiting calmly, standing as straight as any of his troopers would as he marched through the room.

“Commander, thank you for coming,” Amidala greeted, “we appreciate you taking time out of your schedule and allowing us to set your mind at ease.”

“Of course, Senator, I would like to get started immediately, if that’s alright,” so this whole thing can finally be off my mind, he added privately.

“Everything is all set for you and your men, please, proceed however you see fit.”

Fox wasn’t stupid, he knew it was all for show. This entire gesture was for show, really, but he was a man of protocol, and conducted the search (mostly) as he would any other. He made notes as his men went about, checking drawers and cabinets in every room, thoroughly detailing the process so his report would be as clean and cut as possible.

Amidala didn’t even flinch when they moved to her personal bed chamber, not even when they found a few pairs of men’s clothing in a spare closet. Maybe she assumed clones weren’t the type to care about politicians and their affairs, or maybe she didn’t care about rumors in the first place. Her having some clandestine boy toy would hardly be the most scandalous thing in the senate, after all.

Lucky for her, Fox wasn’t the type to care, and if he didn’t, neither did his men, or at least, not enough to stir trouble.

Next were the staff quarters, and he had to admit, he admired their dedication to their senator, none of them even batted an eye as he asked the owner of each room to step forward while they searched. The few times he had a question to ask they were as polite and useful as always. Nothing was amiss.

When they wrapped everything up in the kitchen, Fox was satisfied. No outlandish happenings, but enough information to show that he did his due diligence following the touchy incident from the other day.

“Please, let us know if there is anything else we can do for you, Commander,” Amidala said as they were being led back up to the main floor.

Fox would admit, he smiled a little as he said, “Oh, I’m not quite done yet, Senator.”

They had all just reached the top floor landing by then, and he wanted to smile again as he watched her and her handmaidens turn to look at him.

In turn, Fox singled you out with his gaze. “I still need to search your apartment, ma’am.” Alright, he would admit it, he took just a little satisfaction in watching the shock flash across your face, even if it was quickly wiped away. Finally, he had taken you by surprise for once.

He saw Amidala give you a brief look, perhaps to back you up if this unexpected turn upset you, but you seemed to never back down from any challenge.

“Of course, Commander,” you said, “would it be alright if I alone escorted you? The Senator and the rest of the staff have duties to get back to, and I would hate to keep them since it’s only my residence that remains.”

It was a brief victory, you seemed able to adjust to anything at a moment's notice, and as much as he wanted to hold it over you a bit longer, he had to admire that quality. “That will be fine. In fact, I’ll allow Jacen and Tiio to get to their regular guard duty, I’m sure I can handle the search by myself.”

You weren’t phased by that, either, you might have actually liked the idea of only one man traipsing through your apartment rather than a whole trio. Another thing he admired was that you didn’t waste his time. After a goodbye nod to Amidala and after he gave his orders to the troopers, you were both on your way immediately.

Not far from the senatorial residents, were a few towers of nice, well kept apartments where many senate aides lived. It was close enough that travel to the official senate buildings only took a few minutes, but it had minimal security, the main reason Fox still insisted that one of his men escorted you home every night.

You didn’t say a word to him on the way there, which was fine by him, and he remained silent even as you let him inside. Compared to the senate residence, the home was quite small, though if Fox was honest, he could still hardly believe that some people had whole rooms to themselves at all. Anything that wasn’t six or more men crammed into one room seemed a little lavish to him.

The door opened into a small living space, with a sofa and holo screen. To the right was an open kitchen space, to the left, a door that led to the refresher. He gave all those areas a cursory inspection, since there weren’t many places you could hide anything noteworthy. You were his silent shadow the whole time, never impeding or interrupting, just there if he needed you.

If he remembered his research right, you hadn’t lived here long and it showed. While Amidala’s home was covered in fine decor, you had yet to make the space your own save for a couple of paintings. That was another thing Fox found odd about natborns, the ability to make one’s space their own, to collect objects of personal taste and use them to fill space that was theirs alone. Fox didn’t have an apartment or even quarters to decorate, though he supposed he could make his office his own. He had seen many offices that belonged to senators, and they all seemed to make the spaces unique, personal. He didn’t know if that was a skill he could hone, but, maybe in the future, he would try.

“Are you an admirer of art, Commander?”

Your gentle call was what finally brought Fox out of his musings- wait, he had been musing? Fox never mused while on the job. What you had actually said finally registered with him and it was then that he realized he had stared at one of the few pictures in the home a moment too long. It wasn’t anything noteworthy that he could tell, simple paint and canvas depicting a charming looking house near a river.

“It’s a painting of my family home, back on Naboo,” you continued, before he had a chance to respond. Usually, your voice was even-toned, smooth and collected, it was still that way but Fox noted a current of warmth in it now. “I had it commissioned not long after we came here. It’s nice to have with me, for when I get homesick.”

“Homesick?” he wasn’t sure why he asked. Talking about paintings and personal feelings wasn’t why he was there, but Fox couldn’t seem to ignore his curiosity.

You pulled your gaze away from the picture to look back at him, “Yes, you know: missing home, where you came from.”

He found himself looking away, not liking that he couldn’t read what was in your eyes. What ever it was, it was an emotion totally alien to him. “I…don’t think I’ve been away from Kamino long enough to feel that way. Not that Kamino’s much of home.”

“I’ve heard…things about Kamino,” there was a hint of distaste in those words, but it faded when you said, “but home isn’t always just where you were born. It can also be your family, your loved ones. You still have many brothers on Kamino, right? I say that could make it home for you.”

You were the first natborn he had ever heard talk like that about clones. About him. Fox almost said the words that were burning on his tongue, almost agreed and started to talk about his brothers- but this was stupid. He shouldn’t be talking about home and art and family, he had a job to do, that was why he was here.

So, instead, he squared his shoulders and said, “Is your bed chamber the only other room in the apartment?”

If you were phased at all by his sudden change in topic, you didn’t bother him with it. “Yes- well, that and the closet in the bedroom.” You waved to the door between the kitchen and ‘fresher, an invitation to wrap up the investigation.

Much like the rest of the residence, the bedroom was still sparse, save for the impressive vanity and lavish looking bed. Your closet, however…Fox wasn’t sure he should be surprised, Amidala and her handmaidens were always bedecked in impressive apparel, and the closets in the main house had been stuffed full of clothing as well. He wasn’t about to go digging through the vast collection of dresses and tunics and pants, but the quick pat-down did bring a burning question back to the forefront of his mind. A question that had bugged him periodically since he saw you pull that blaster seemingly out of thin air.

“Does this conclude your search, Commander?” You asked when he stepped out of the vast wardrobe.

For a moment, he didn’t speak, instead he let his eyes look over your current outfit, looking for holsters or suspicious bulges, desperately trying to puzzle out the question himself. He hadn’t been able to before, and even with you right in front of him, he still couldn’t.

“Alright, how did you hide it?” he said, eventually.

Your brows furrowed at that. “Hide…what?”

Fox, in a very unprofessional way, jabbed a finger at your sleeve. “How did you hide that blaster? You pulled it out of your sleeve, but I never saw any sign of a holster, it would have bulged, or pulled at your sleeve, or something. I want to know how you hid it from me.”

Slowly, and very annoyingly he may add, a smile lifted your lips. It was a little smug, a little amused, and made him fold his arms over his chest as you took a step forward.

“Naboo prides itself on its craftsmanship, Commander, and our clothing is no different.” You walked past him, back into the wardrobe, “Queens and her royal handmaidens have high standards, so we only accept clothing that serves multiple purposes.” You pulled out a purple dress, holding the fabric out to him. “This, for example, is woven with treated fibers, fibers that, when crafted correctly, can help disperse the impact of blunt force.” You hung the dress back up, and switched it for a shawl the color of a sunset, “This can hold up to the slashes of any vibroblade in current production.” Then you pulled out the red number you had worn that day. “And this can reduce the damage of blaster fire. However, even with all that, the last line of defense is always a good weapon. But blasters draw a lot of attention, too much attention to a handmaiden, so we find ways to fix that too.” You rolled the sleeve back revealing a network of straps and stretching bands with a very small holster at its center. “The wide sleeve lets me hang it there, and all of this distributes the weight of the blaster, and keeps it suspended so there isn’t any pulling on the fabric.” You smoothed it back out again, the straps and holster disappearing from sight. “Completely undetectable with the human eye- which, I’ll remind you, is now within my rights as a registered guard.”

Fox almost, almost huffed a laugh at that. “Don’t worry, I won't arrest you again. I also take that to mean you have other outfits with hidden holsters?”

This time, your smirk was a little mischievous, “Oh, Commander, I have hidden holsters in all my clothing. Just like all my shoes can hide a vibroblade.”

That actually did make Fox chuckle. “Knives too? Well, you’re just a walking armory, aren’t you?”

“You’re one to talk,” your eyes darted down to the pistols at his hips, and the pouches that had various munitions tucked in them.

“At least being an arsenal is part of my job.”

“It’s part of my job too, officially now, I may remind you.”

A soft huff of a laugh that time. “Yeah yeah, don’t worry. You’re clear to carry weapons again,” he took some steps back then, and you caught his intentions, quickly moving to escort him to the door, “and with this official search to report, there shouldn’t be any other issues for you or the senator.”

“Excellent,” you let out a small breath, probably out of relief, as you walked him through your living room. “Thank you again for your time, Commander, and please, if there is anything else we can do to help you, let us know.”

He let himself meet your gaze as you both stopped by your front door. If your eyes were any indicator, you meant every word you said.

“I don’t know if there will be anything, but, if there is, I will.”

“Good," you hesitated for a moment, but when you spoke again, your tone was a little softer, more, personal, and this time he knew you were speaking for yourself, not Amidala. "I want to be a good ally to you and your troops, Commander, please don’t forget that.”

He didn’t know what to say to that, especially not with the tone you used. He shifted on his feet a little and you must have noticed his awkwardness, because you were quick to move the moment along.

“I hope you have a pleasant evening, Fox.”

He managed a nod as he opened the door, and before it could shut behind him he said a genuine, “Good night, ma’am.”