deercountry | it was the silence underneath the stars

About... an old individual that yelled?

[Padmé would be so very wrong in that guess.]

Life is rarely that straightforward, although there are times I wish that it was. So much could be avoided. But... it does also make us stronger, once we live through it.

[Lexi laughs awkwardly] No. No. About a dog. A dog who got rabies and had to be put down. Only everyone loved the dog, so it was sad.

[Lexi bawled her eyes out the first time Suze mistakenly played the movie, thinking Lexi old enough for it. Rue hadn't cried, though, she was busy trying to make Lexi feel better]

So no straightforward or 90 degree angles. Only twists and turns and expecting the weird at every turn. That's...honestly not that different from home. [she says, stepping carefully over a trip wire]

[She gives a perplexed look, having no idea what rabies is, although clearly some incurable disease? A small tip of her head. Loss is a part of life. She knows that. Knows as well how much it can hurt regardless of that understanding.]

I take it the point was to come to terms with loss?

[Not a happy ending though.

She gives a light laugh though. So far, nothing. Yet, she glances upwards now, just in case it is something ridiculous and hard to reach. Yet the ceiling looks like a ceiling. No obvious exits.

Her voice is wry, teasing.]

Perhaps walking backwards shall bring us forward.

[and all she really knows about rabies was that it made the stunt dog foam at the mouth and act aggressive. that and her mom's hollered statement that Lexi better not let any dog bite her, it would have rabies]

I guess? But everything was so overacted, it was hard to take seriously. [now that she's a teenager, at least. little Lexi bawled her eyes out the first time she saw it.

thinking about the bawling made her feel like she had to be blushing bright red.

and she's basically crouched down to the floor as low as she can get, kind of frog-walking her way along as she looks for tripwires]

Maybe? It can't hurt to try? [she's willing to try anything at this point]

Was it meant to be done that way, or it was just poorly written and acted?

[It could be either.

The thing about this place is that it is different from her own world. Magic and blood and omens... Padmé may be a skilled senator, but anything supernatural is not in her area of expertise.]

Well, we can try getting around the whole room first anyway, and seeing.

The last two. The nighteen...fifties? Maybe the sixties? But that era had a ton of overacting, especially in kids' movies. Mom had the VHS and we used to watch it when we were kids.

[supernatural doings are far outside of her frame of reference, too, unless one counted watching movies about supernatural stuff. otherwise, her world seemed painfully dull in comparison to most of the worlds she's heard about]

Yeah. With any luck, either we'll figure out what we need to do to get out or they'll spring something weird on us just because they can.

Yet they were popular for a time, and enjoyed? Well, save for the fate of the poor dog.

[She hums softly, eyes shifting. The area is rather large and Padmé finds her eyes wandering. Is it a hoard? A safe? Some storage area? Whose, is the question.]

Or perhaps it will be simple enough, and after all, designed to keep us on our toes and guessing.

Oh, yeah. Very popular. Just about anything Disney puts out is very popular, even after the dog.

[Lexi is seriously expecting Smaug to show up at any time. then for the dragon to go on a rampage]

I hope it's simple. Like don't grab the magic treasure, don't get horrible consequences like the floor collapsing or the roof collapsing. Or dragons.

Well as nice as it all is and pretty to look at, I cannot say I've any particular desire for it.

[Clothing and accessories are just another disguise, one that can alter or conceal. It isn't a measure of a person, at least by Padmé's standards.]

Me neither. [Lexi shrugs] Back home, it could pay off the mortgage on our house, make sure me and Cassie only got the best of college educations, buy all kinds of things. [get Rue into the best rehab clinic money could buy, maybe to make up for failing to tell Mrs. Bennett what was going on]

But here? Sure, gold is pretty, but it's not very useful. It's too soft for weapons or armor, so it's only real use is to be pretty.

Gold does have some value back home, although we also use it in the manufacturing of items.

[Not the most expensive, at least on Naboo, but she knows that on other planets, it holds more value.]

It is a rather unique system that they have here.

[Padmé doesn't mind it. Bartering one service for another... It has it's uses, especially here. It is not that she fears hard work or the like, but it is an alternate means.]

Like jewelry and stuff like that? That's mostly what we use it for, but. [she shakes her head no] I like silver better, anyway.

[when she thinks of gold, all she can think of are those stupid radio commercials going the end is near! the banks are corrupt! invest in gold! which made her eyes roll and change from the classic country station to the pop station]

Yeah, I know. It's a lot to get used to. I'm kind of afraid someone from home might show up and I'll have to explain the whole damn thing to them.

[though, if it's Nate Jacobs, he can figure things out on his own.

if it's Rue, she's going into the small house Lexi found in Gaze, asap]

Droids, actually, have gold in them. Other mechanical pieces. But there are also items like that.

[A wide range. Padmé has, of course, worn gold, in a variety of forms, and does own some items herself as well. But she owns plenty of other different types, or silver to other metals.]

At least you will be there to help them?

Droids? Like an android? I never really thought of gold being used like that. That's probably better than the whole vanity thing?

[she tries to dress cute, to put on make-up, but she's far too self-conscious to ever be accused of vanity]

Yeah. I just...it's hard telling who'd be able to cope with all of this. I'm not even sure I can.

Inner parts, I believe, and perhaps some outer work as well.

[Amongst other uses. Threepio is gold plated, for example. Padmé isn't certain how much use an actual droid that saw battle would be with gold plating. Usually a sturdier shell to protect against attacks.]

With something that seems insurmountable, take it one day at a time.

Really? Wow. I had never thought about androids needing gold parts. Is that like a superconductor thing?

[because she has heard that if the US took a stronger stance against other countries, they wouldn't have the gold needed for iPhones]

Yeah. I'm trying? It's just. All of this is so far outside my frame of reference. Except this place, it's like the treasure hoard in "Aladdin" crossed with the one in "Raiders of the Lost Arc." And therefore, fucked up on every level.

I honestly don't know. My knowledge of them is fairly basic.

[Anakin would be the one to ask about that. He'd created his own out of scrap parts as a child. A genius, really.]

Mm. There is much that is different here, but there are also things that are the same.

You know more about them than I do. I mean, I've heard of androids, but they've all been fictional. Like Data in Star Trek.

[she'd known that East Highland High had a robotics team and while it sounded like fun, she wasn't really a joiner]

I'm almost afraid to ask what's the same. I feel like someone drop-kicked me into some dystopian fantasy novel.

We have many different uses for them - protocol, astromech, battle, medical...

[Assassin ones as well, amongst others. They had a variety across the galaxy, with some planets relying on them more than others. Even different planets having different views on how to treat them... Naboo was fairly forward thinking in that regard.

Her gaze flickered over, and she offered a smile.]

The ability of those to aid each other.

That's...a lot of androids. Are all of them specialized in one job? Though, I could probably use a protocol one, to translate me being...well, me into a normal, confident person.

[she was not and never would be cool. she'd mostly come to terms with that in her freshman year of high school, but it was easier to not be cool with company than it was on her own.

she smiles back a little nervously]

--oh! So it's a good thing! Yeah, most people seem really nice. It's almost weird, but I'll take it.

No, some can do multiple things. It just depends on the particular droid.

[Although a fair amount did have only one duty, so to speak, although it may be various skills that they had. Her gaze did flicker over, softening.]

Confidence comes from within. Believe in yourself.

[She pauses, to look back across the chamber. There has to be something... Unless all the gold and jewelry is covering something?]

It is, yes. I am glad for it though. Working together makes one stronger.

Hmm. A multitasking one would be cool back home. It could help me with the housework. [and she'd treat it nice! having someone to do the vacuuming while she took care of the kitchen would've been great]

I'm...well, I'm trying? I'm not sure how much good I'll be at it 'cause for most of my life, my sister was the beautiful, popular one and I was kind of there. Not really involved in things, kind of watching from afar. But, a friend of mine told me that no one can tell if someone's faking confidence or not. Sort of the whole pretend until it's real thing?

[she was not touching any of the gold, especially not since she remembered the thing with the Knight Templar in "Raiders of the Lost Arc." Damnit, she watched too many movies]

I suppose you can come to mimic it.

[Thinking of her own upbringing. She and the others had learned how to wear many masks. A voice had been adopted and a persona, a cloak that went further than just clothing. Looks, mannerisms, speech. Not one area had been overlooked in the masquerade of attempting to protect her.]

But it does become the question of when reality and pretend cross.

"I hope so? But I'm not doing rhinestones for eyeliner, I still can't understand how she always got those so perfect"

[such a situation would have made Lexi so self-conscious and not in a good way. she was already afraid that she was terminally uncool (and this time without having Rue there to be uncool with. and the more outgoing Cassie was, the more Lexi retreated into her own mind]

Yeah. I mean, eventually you have to prove yourself. Either you're confident or you're not. [a pause] I'm trying to make myself be confident now.

[Rhinestones for eyeliner? That, too, must she something that was from her world. Padmé knew of various make-ups, and her own face had often been painted in the traditional manner of Naboo when queen. She didn't really bother now, unless she was going to a function or a party that needed it. Even then, it was often based upon how easy it was to replicate, in case she needed to switch places.]

That's the first step, but even people who are confident... It doesn't mean you are all the time. You still have hopes and fears, and days where you're broken down. I think part of it it is how you deal with it.

it was the silence underneath the stars

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(CW: drug addiction/rehab)

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