Private Simple things

[Cassian Abrantes]

Cassian listened, the faint play of light from around them glinting off his eyes as Dominique spoke of power, of standing firm rather than hiding. The weight of her words carried the kind of conviction only someone long accustomed to wielding authority could possess.

"You speak as someone who's seen the truth of it," he said quietly, almost more to himself than her. "No retreats. No moments of weakness shown. A noble house can fall on rumor alone, how much more fragile is a seat earned in commerce, where bloodlines mean less than perception?"

The thought lingered as he took in her almost wistful musings about Denon itself. A place of constant movement, density, light and shadow, yet she found beauty in its chaos.

"The city as art," Cassian mused, his tone carrying the warmth of an echo. "I can understand why that draws you. Denon never stops—every second something is happening, shifting, rising, falling. It's alive in a way palaces and academies never are."

His smile deepened, small but genuine. "And the acrobats…" He allowed the word to trail, his brow quirking with a spark of playfulness. "Discipline masked as spectacle. Precision turned to beauty. I can see why you would admire it. There's kinship there, years of practice before a single motion looks effortless." He leaned forward slightly, voice lowering a fraction. "It makes me wonder, when you let the city's vibrancy or an artist's perfection distract you… is it truly escape, or simply another form of mastery? A reminder that even leisure must be worthy of you?"

Dominique Vexx

 

[Dominique Vexx]

Dominique just smiled. Seen the truth of it? She'd lived it. Not that she felt like admitting as much. Displays of weakness and all. They were in public, and who knew what pests might be listening. Yes, such was the reason why in her re-ascension to power Dominique grabbed those "allies" by the metaphysical jugular and forced them to her bidding. After all, being just the Senator wasn't going to be enough the second time.

Polite laughter followed Cassian's innocent question. "Even a ruthless corporate overlord enjoys a little leisure, Cassian. Too much focus -- too much tension -- isn't good for the body or mind. Sometimes you simply need to relax. I admit, a good masseur helps." That was another skill knowing how to effectively find and release the knots in the body.

She reached out to lay a hand gently on his chest. "Something I hope you take to heart as well. A man of your position deals with any number of physical dangers daily, and commands countless men and women to imperil themselves for the benefit of the Republic. Not so dissimilar from employing CorpSec, or more recently CTRLd. It's a perilous galaxy, but that doesn't mean you can't take a little time for yourself now and again."

Cassian Abrantes​

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Cassian's breath caught for the briefest moment at the light weight of her hand against his chest. It was a gesture calculated, of course, everything about Dominique was measured, deliberate, but that didn't diminish the effect. Her touch was warm, grounding, a reminder that beneath the armor of words and roles they wore, there was still flesh and pulse.

He allowed a smile to curve his lips, softer than before. "Relaxation is a discipline I've never mastered," he admitted, voice pitched low, almost confessional. "A battlefield doesn't leave much room for such luxuries, and habits learned there… linger. Even now, in halls far from the front, my instinct is to anticipate the next strike, the next maneuver. You could say I've grown used to living on tension."

His gaze lingered on hers, steady, though the weight of her hand seemed to anchor him in a way few things did. "But perhaps you're right. Perhaps it is time I learned something of leisure. To set aside vigilance, if only for an hour. I imagine you'd say that's as much a strength as standing firm."

The corner of his mouth tugged upward in the faintest smirk. "Though I doubt I'd ever find a masseur half as skilled at undoing knots as you are at tying them, Director."

Dominique Vexx

 

[Dominique Vexx]

"Knowing when to don your weapon and when to sheathe it is proper form for a soldier, after all." Dominique smiled up at Cassian. "Most people don't appreciate just how similar war and peace really are. The subtitle similarities. You use blasters. I use words. In the end, we both need to retire to camp to recover for the next bout. It's just the trappings that change." They needn't find a dusty tent or the nearest mess; they had the luxury of soft beds, good food, and endless entertainment at their disposal.

Not that Dominique could say she truly understood everything a man of service endured or experienced. She hadn't enrolled into the armed forces. What she knew came from books, overseeing CorpSec and CTRLd, and extrapolating from the world in which she was accustomed. People were people. The job was different, but their nature remain the same.

Half-lidded eyes and a warm smile followed Cassian's quip. "We could find out together whether I have a talent for it, if you'd like." An intentional play of his proposed scenario. It was nice to be complimented.

Cassian Abrantes​

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Cassian let her words hang for a breath, then let a low chuckle escape. She had a way of dressing truths in silk and he appreciated it more than he cared to admit aloud.


"Proper form indeed," he said, meeting her gaze directly, as though the metaphor were more than just philosophy. "Too many think war is all clash and thunder, and peace all repose. They forget both demand discipline, timing… and knowing when to hold, when to release."


Her touch on his chest lingered, light yet pointed, and Cassian felt the careful play of power she carried in every gesture. He allowed himself a smile, equal parts wry and intrigued.

"You tempt me with dangerous experiments, Director." he murmured, his tone low, pitched for her ears alone despite the din of the public space around them. "Finding out together if you have the talent, well. If nothing else, I suspect the experience would be memorable."


He leaned forward just slightly, the kind of movement that invited closeness without forcing it, his eyes searching hers for the smallest flicker of intent. "But tell me, Dominique… do you seek leisure only to recover for the next bout? Or is there a part of you that simply enjoys the indulgence, for its own sake?"

Dominique Vexx

 

[Dominique Vexx]

"Honestly, Cassian," Dominique paused to smile, "I don't usually have time for simple indulgences. Not ones I initiate with the intention of doing nothing else." A soft snort followed. "Like a soldier in the forest that seeks to survive. Trudging through rain or snow with no manufactured shelter for safety, or companions to watch your back. Leisure is a distant priority under those circumstances."

"Though there are times I have enjoyed such luxuries. Often to continue a conversation with someone, or to open an opportunity." Dominique looked into Cassian's eyes. "Like today. With you. You give me a reason to simply be here without weighing how to manage my time effectively. What about you? Splurge on your own at times?"

Even her time in the clubs learning how to slice had been for a purpose -- to get closer to Darkwire. Since she learned those skills, however, Dominique had applied them for other purposes. Business purposes. Personal enjoyment or hobbies... no, there weren't time for those. Denon was a large planet, and the number of governments or companies that sought to exploit it were many.

Cassian Abrantes​

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Cassian inclined his head at her honesty, lips quirking faintly at the soldier's metaphor she'd woven back to him. There was a quiet respect in his eyes now, an acknowledgment that beneath all her polish and calculated charm, she understood survival in her own arena every bit as well as he did in his.

"Then we are alike in that," he said. "My indulgences are rarely without purpose. Even moments that seem idle usually sharpen into duty before long. A soldier's leave is often spent not in leisure, but in preparation for what comes next."


He let the words breathe for a moment, before his gaze softened. "But you're right. Today is different. This conversation doesn't feel like stolen time, it feels… earned."

A flicker of warmth touched his expression, tempered by the edges of his soldier's reserve. "So yes. On occasion I do splurge, but it's rarely for myself alone. A good bottle of wine with my sister. A walk along Naboo's silvered shores after a campaign. Even a quiet evening with someone whose company reminds me there is more to life than orders and reports."

Cassian's eyes held hers, steady, deliberately unflinching. "Like now."

Dominique Vexx

 

[Dominique Vexx]

Dominiue lsmiled at Cassian. "You flatter me. To suggest I might be a relaxing influence, occupied as I am with Denon's business. Perhaps there is hope for me yet." A quiet, muffled chuckle followed after. "But, seriously, I do look forward to an evening with you, Cassian. No agenda. No objectives. Just an opportunity to socialize, and show you some of our secret gems."

"I hope they'll be polished with some of Naboo's finest visiting us. Our people would love to see some of the shows I've had a privilege of witnessing as I travel to and from your homeworld." Dominique had already reached out to a few companies to organize events, but it was only a beginning. Perhaps she could even coordinate a traveling troupe of some kind? It was important for the High Republic's culture to be elevated on as many worlds as possible to avoid withering on the vine.

Cassian Abrantes​

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Cassian's lips curved into a small, genuine smile, the kind that softened the edges of his otherwise composed demeanor.

"I think there's more than hope, Dominique," he said quietly. "You may call it business, but I suspect you've always known how to make a room… lighter. Even when you claim otherwise." His eyes lingered on hers, unhurried, letting the weight of his words settle.

Her mention of Naboo drew a subtle shift in his expression, pride mingled with memory. "Our people take pride in weaving culture into every gathering, every performance. They say art is the soul of Naboo. To share it with Denon, and the planets within our influence. Culture and Soul intertwined together, could only strengthen it for all.."

A pause, his tone softening as though the public around them had blurred into irrelevance. "But as for tonight… the idea of an evening without agendas is one I welcome more than you know. Perhaps it's time I learned how Denon herself unwinds, through your eyes."

His gaze warmed as he leaned just slightly closer, voice dipped with tease to something almost conspiratorial but genuine layers. "So, Director… where will you take me first? A hidden gem, or one polished bright enough to dazzle?"

Dominique Vexx

 

[Dominique Vexx]

Dominique laughed behind a risen hand. "Whatever you can imagine, Denon indulges. We have plenty of museums and galleries, but they're often from other worlds. Like Naboo. What we manifest ourselves is a particular inclination toward all things cybernetic. If not that, then discarding polite society in favor of the outrageous. Perhaps you have some familiarity with as much?" Cassian got around the galaxy, didn't he? Far more than Sibylla.

"For myself," when she wasn't deliberately guiding some through the circus of society, "I enjoy the sort of luxuries I'm often accused of indulging. I have so little free time, I think should pamper myself with more than a quick bite or an amusing, but brief streetside show." What were credits for, after all? Spending them on off-the-book activities to build up her own power structure, but that was neither here nor there with present company.

"With you," Dominique paused to smile, "I wouldn't mind exploring some of Naboo's finest. I certainly enjoy this festival. Perhaps that too is something we should encourage more of back home. With so many people I still doubt many of them could say they truly more than a handful. What do you feel is worth of our time together here on home soil?"

Cassian Abrantes​

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Cassian's brow lifted slightly, her laughter and her litany of Denon's indulgences pulling a quiet grin from him.

"A little familiarity," he admitted. "The cybernetic, the outrageous, the theatrical, I've seen some of Denon's extremes, though never quite through your eyes. With you as guide, I suspect even the familiar would feel… unfamiliar again." His voice warmed at the end, not quite flirt, but carrying the cadence of admiration.

He considered her question with a moment's pause, gaze drifting over the festival around them before settling back on her. "As for what's worth our time together? I'd say it should be something that lingers. A memory etched not by spectacle, but by meaning. On Naboo, it might be a walk through the Theed gardens at dusk, when the lanterns bloom among the trees. Or a small chamber concert in the palace, where the music feels like it belongs only to you. Not grand displays, but moments that feel… alive."

Dominique Vexx

 

[Dominique Vexx]

"There are places few non-natives would ever stumble upon," Dominique agreed. Denon was a large planet. Even a native could hardly be expected to know everything about every District -- an entire planet several times over with its many layers. "Some offensive, but many quite intriguing." If Cassian was already versed in her world then he knew it wasn't a paradise like Naboo. In a sense, even under idyllic conditions it would never be a paradise. The struggle of everyday life was what gave it its character. 'Solving' its problems would only introduce new ones -- far less captivating ones. The paradox of wanting to bring about her world's greatness lay in how to defined greatness.

Soft laughter accompanied Cassian's observation. "You're right, of course. The galaxy will provide enough spectacle for us to measure time. But meaning? That's far harder to come by." For a warrior, Cassian was surprising thoughtful of these matters. "I have to admit, I don't think I've had the pleasure of Theed's gardens where lantern bloom among the trees." Dominique turned a palm upward. "Would you do me the honor of escorting me through such a resplendent place?"

Cassian Abrantes​

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Dominique Vexx ​

Cassian's expression softened at her request, the mention of lanterns in Theed's gardens stirring a quiet fondness that touched his eyes. Naboo's beauty was something he had long taken for granted, but hearing Dominique speak of it as though it were some half-imagined wonder gave it new weight.

"It would be my honor," he said, his tone more earnest than ceremonial. "Theed's gardens have a way of stilling the world. Lanterns swaying in the trees, the scent of blossoms heavy in the night air, it is not spectacle, but presence. A place where time moves slower, and silence becomes a companion rather than an absence."

He inclined his head slightly, as if acknowledging the gravity beneath her playful invitation. ""To walk those paths with you would be to see them anew. The light through the branches, the water flowing over stone… It is one thing to admire such a place alone. Quite another to share it with someone who knows how to look deeper than the surface.""

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, carrying both warmth and a challenging tease. "But only if you promise not to treat it as reconnaissance. Theed's gardens are for wonder, not strategy."

 

[Dominique Vexx]

"Not at all the sort of thing found easily on Denon," Dominique agreed with Cassian's romantic description of the silence in the garden. Which was part of the reason she wanted to visit; it was a sight unlike the sort you found on an industrial world. Even Ayumi's Upcity was a bustling realm of activity, sights, and sounds.

Surprising poetry from Cassian followed suit with Dominique listening thoughtfully. Obviously he had a soft spot for the gardens. Despite all the resources buried deep on Naboo, it was its uniqueness that had her want it preserved. Perhaps, thousands of years from now, it would be necessary to dig; until then, they could exploit other realms and enjoy the paradise Naboo had to offer.

With a soft laugh, Dominique reached over to pat Cassian's arm. "Strategy? Just what sort of reconnaissance do you think I'd be performing, Cassian, in a garden? Have no fear; I'll save the calculations for ballrooms and boardrooms." Of course, there were many other times she evaluated the moment for how it might benefit her, Denon, or the Republic; but it really wouldn't hurt to just enjoy a walk.

Cassian Abrantes​

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Dominique Vexx ​

Cassian's laugh was low, genuine, the kind that slipped free when he allowed his guard to ease. Dominique's pat to his arm felt lighter than her usual careful precision, and he marked it as such.

"Then I'll consider myself reassured," he replied, his tone warm but laced with a touch of irony. "Though if you ever did decide to perform reconnaissance in a garden, I imagine the flowers themselves would give you their secrets."

He let the pause stretch, just long enough to draw the contrast between the roles they so often played and the suggestion of something beyond them. Then, with the faintest curve of a smile:

"Perhaps that will be our truest indulgence, Dominique, choosing, for once, not to measure the moment for advantage. Just to live it."

Cassian guided her through to where the sounds of the city softened into the hush of stone and water. The marble underfoot was cool, streaked faintly with silver, and as they moved past the last row of colonnades, the garden opened before them.

The lanterns had already been lit. Hundreds of them, delicate glass spheres that glowed with soft amber light, strung high among branches heavy with bloom. Their reflections danced in the flowing canals that wound through the gardens, and the evening air carried the mingled scents of jasmine and Naboo's native star-lilies. Cassian slowed, not merely out of courtesy but to let her take in the sight. His hand hovered near hers, close enough to brush if she wished, distant enough if she did not. "This," he murmured, voice quieter in the softened air, "is why Naboo is called a jewel. Not for its palaces or its throne, but for this, places where the galaxy seems to pause."

The path curved ahead, leading toward a bridge where water spilled in a shimmering fall beneath. Fireflies threaded the shadows, adding their pale glow to the lantern light. Cassian gestured gently, inviting her onward. "There are corners here few visitors ever see. Shall I show you?"

He turned his eyes toward her then, not just as a noble escorting a guest, but as a man curious how this woman, so steeped in Denon's steel and pulse, would see his homeland's most delicate wonder.

 

[Dominique Vexx]

Dominique smiled over at Cassian. Was he deliberately cloaking some manner of insinuation she were a wolf in sheep's clothing? "Who better to share secrets with than someone willing to keep them?" Not that flowers had a choice in the matter. Much as some parties that she, or those she employed, found out the hard way when their modern security systems were sliced. Cassian had his blasters and missiles. She had information.

Light laughter accompanied his call for indulgence. "But how could Denon possibly go on without me?" she jested. She sought to be at its center, but for all her efforts the world and everything beyond managed to keep on spinning even if she took a moment to walk through a garden.

Her hand rested atop her forearm as they walked arm-in-arm. Dominique's golden eyes shone brightly behind the translucent liliac-colored glareshades. Softly painted lips curled upward in a smile along the way. Whatever pace Cassian set was fine by her, and if he in turn waited on her to set the gait it would be in no particular rush. They had time didn't they? No one was going to cast them out of the gardens. They could try, but Dominique would simply ignore them.

"You can't find a place like this on Denon," she said softly as they walked. "Not without multiple sound isolation and filtration systems, and it still isn't the same. The price of progress." As fresh and radiant as the garden was, however, Dominique's voice didn't turn melancholy at the thought. No one could have everything -- at least not for long, and Denon had been busy reaching for the stars for well longer than most could dream. It was what it was.

Dominique's hand reached up to pay atop Cassian's at his invitation. She smiled up at him once more. "I would be delighted, Sir Abrantes."

Cassian Abrantes​

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Dominique Vexx
​

Cassian let her words and laughter roll over him like a soft current, and when her hand came to rest atop his, he answered by folding his fingers lightly over hers. Not to command, but to steady, as though acknowledging the trust of the gesture. The path narrowed ahead, lined by flowering vines that spilled in silken curtains. Lantern-light caught in the blossoms, scattering warm reflections across the stone. Cassian guided them beneath the arch of branches at an unhurried pace, his stride measured to match her own.


"You're right," he said at length, his voice lowered to a tone that felt at home in the hush of the garden. "This quiet is not something Denon could ever counterfeit, no matter the credits invested. The stillness here isn't engineered, it's lived, layered over centuries. Every leaf, every ripple of water belongs to Naboo itself. That's why it endures."


He glanced sidelong at her, a subtle smile touching his lips. "But perhaps that's why I wanted you here. To see not what can be bought or manufactured, but what simply is. A reminder that progress does not erase beauty, nor does ambition forbid serenity."

Cassian slowed as they came to a small bridge spanning a pool lit by drifting lanterns, the surface alive with the mirrored glow. He gestured toward it with a slight incline of his head, offering her the first step. "Come. Few visitors know this corner, most never leave the main paths. But I think you'll find it… worth the detour."

Cassian led her across the lantern lit bridge, the gentle murmur of the waterfall beneath their steps softening the world around them until it felt as though the garden itself held its breath. Beyond the bridge, the path curved inward, half-hidden by a wall of ivy and flowering vines. With a hand, he brushed the greenery aside to reveal a narrow arch, no more than a servant's path once, now forgotten by all but a handful who knew it was there. The stone steps beyond descended into a secluded hollow, where the air grew cooler and the sounds of the city faded altogether.

The hidden garden unfurled below. Smaller than the grand avenues they had left, it was no less enchanting, perhaps even more so. Pools lay scattered like fragments of glass, their surfaces lit by bioluminescent flora drifting lazily across the water. Pale blossoms glowed with a faint inner fire, their light reflected on Dominique's lilac shades and the gold of her eyes beneath.

Cassian slowed, letting her take it in, his own voice hushed by the intimacy of the place. "Few ever find this corner. It was planted centuries ago for meditation, a sanctuary within a sanctuary. When the larger gardens grew into a spectacle, this place remained untouched. The lanterns here are no artifice—they burn with oils drawn from the blossoms themselves."

He gestured to a stone bench curved into the side of the pool, its surface smoothed by time. "Here, Director, there are no agendas, no witnesses, and no obligations. Only the company you choose to keep."

 

[Dominique Vexx]

A poetic soul, Cassian. Dominique felt it endured because they allowed it. Naboo wasn't a living entity as some seemed to believe. But it was a nice, romantic sentiment so she never ruined the mood bringing it up.

Besides, there was a kernel of truth to what Cassian had said -- you couldn't engineer what Naboo had. You could replicate it. A very passable facsimile practically indistinguishable from the real thing... right up until you stepped out of the specially curated realm that synthesized it and the illusion was lost. Thing of it was, the ultra wealth that could afford such luxuries didn't care if the 'spell' was lost when the left such spaces; they hardly noticed it at all. It was in having what others did not they enjoyed.

"Does it not?" Dominique murmured as she cast a sidelong look at her guide with a smile on her lips. She was curious what he was alluding to; if there was a deeper meaning to his words.

Her eyes slid from him to the pool and the lights, and back again. "If it's you recommending the way, I have no doubts." Off the main path was it? Dominique smiled to herself as she accepted his lead.

It was a refreshing stroll all being said. No hover cars overhead. No neon lights. No bustling crowds with countless conversations filling the air. Dominique hadn't spent her money on a floating island abode back home, nor built an ocean as Ayumi had. She lived on the ground even if it was the luxurious surface level. She even visited Districts no 'sane' Director would ever dare. What was the point of saving Denon if she hated it? So this was an experience, being alone with Cassian with the roar and lapping of water nearby growing and fading in turn as they went.

Soon, he brushed aside a curtain of ivy to reveal a scarcely tended path. Dominique looked at him with a smile before she slipped inside. Quite the novel experience. She wondered how he'd first come upon it?

Her golden eyes slid over the pools and the secret garden Cassian had revealed. An amusing, natural echo of home to see bioluminescent flora among that which flowered. Meanwhile, her guide spoke softly of it having been meant for meditation. It could certainly be used for that, she agreed.

At his gesture, Dominique stepped over to a stone bench. A seat would allow them all the time they wanted to just talk. "Dominique, Cassian, or I'm going to start calling your Sir Abrantes for the rest of the night," she jested, but would do exactly as she'd said if he kept up the formalities. With a smile on her lips, she looked over at the man. "And what is it two people like us should do with no witnesses and no obligations weighing on us?"

Cassian Abrantes​

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Dominique Vexx ​

Cassian chuckled softly, shaking his head as he took a seat beside her. The moss beneath their boots muted the sound of their steps; above, the soft rustle of leaves filled the silence between their words.

"Habit, but alright." he relented, turning toward her with an amused glint in his eye. "But only if you promise not to call me 'Sir Abrantes' when you're trying to make a point."

His tone was light, teasing, though the air between them carried an ease that hadn't been there at the start of the evening. For all her poise, Dominique had relaxed here, her voice softer, her laughter no longer edged with calculation. It suited her.

"What do people like us do," he mused, leaning forward with his forearms on his knees, "..when no one is watching?" His gaze swept the still water before returning to her. "We remember what that feels like. To stop performing. To stop reaching. To simply be."

He turned a palm upward, letting a single lantern petal drift down into it from the water's edge, a luminous bloom, its faint glow reflecting across his hand. "You could say this place teaches that lesson. Stillness is not stagnation. It's where the current gathers its strength."

Cassian looked back to her, voice gentler now, carrying the intimacy of someone sharing something seldom spoken aloud. "We could talk. Or not. Either way, the galaxy won't miss us for one night."

After a moment, a faint, knowing smile touched his lips. "Unless, of course, you'd rather prove me wrong—and tell me you've already calculated the ripple our absence would cause?"

 

[Dominique Vexx]

Dominique chuckled. "I'm not a H.R.D., Cassian. Though I did already factor into account when I agreed to meet you at the festival. As a Director of the Corporate Sector Authority Executive Board, I do have quite the fully schedule. Not so full I can't make time to spend it with those I will, but I do have to consider certain impacts."

A soft sigh escaped her as she looked out over the water. "And I'm practically never out of reach in the event of a genuine emergency. You understand the burden of responsibility, don't you, Cassian? Those beneath you can handle affairs, but certain matters can lead otherwise dependable people to catastrophe without a guiding hand. A decision maker." People could become mired in what the consequences of a bad decision were, argue over who had the authority to make such a decision, and even which bad decision should be made.

Her golden eyes slid back to Cassian. "What would you like to talk about? I'd probably be the worst conservation pattern regarding stillness, but I'll put in my best effort if you like." A smile spread across her lips. It was a rather beautiful, secluded grotto.

Cassian Abrantes​