Catch

A week had gone by, the planet of Naboo was still peaceful as ever. Gungans in the swamplands, lakes and rivers, whilst humans and other species mingled in the cities.

According to a report from the planet of Coruscant the Naboo delegates had been attacked by an unknown starship which seemed similar to Valad's Scimitar, but looked quite different in color scheme and composition.

This was verification that the timeline was still heading in the same direction as before, which somewhat startled Valad. Why was Darth Maul being ordered to do the same things as before? Did Plagueis not foresee any difference of what was going to happen?

Pursing his lips, he listened to the force which surrounded him. Reaching out to feel the people throughout the palace. Eventually he located his Apprentice, in the hangar still training. It seemed she had been able to master her ability of Telekinesis relatively quickly while keeping her mind and body in pristine shape.

Valad's idea of training her in solitude and only returning to revitalize her and give her further information to interpret on her own seemed to be paying off. That was pretty much how the schools in his past life worked. They gave you an equation, or a question, and you were to answer it once given the formula.

Though it was rather a time costly way to begin, it helped increase the comprehension of the practitioner, rather than immediately learning how to solve it from someone else. It built independence and character.

Walking through the Corridors as he made his way to the Hangar, he knew that Panaka would be returning to Naboo soon. However his goal was to speak and interact with his Apprentice.

As he entered the Hangar, his eyes narrowed on his target as he pulled the dual-phase saber from his hip. It had his two heavily attuned force crystals inside of them. However it seemed that Riané was in a meditative state sitting on the outer hull of his transport. She seemed rather comfortable situated on the yellow sports stripe down the center of the vessel.

Twirling the weapon between his fingers, he glanced around to see if there was anyone watching. There were a few maintenance officers standing around, some of them even doing their jobs. Yet barely anyone was paying attention to the vessel, especially the girl seated upon it.

A grin formed over his lips as he tossed the weapon in the air, aimed right for Riané head, but just as it was about to hit her she moved sharply on reflex and snatched it out of the air.

Her face lit up in pain as she quickly dropped the weapon as she felt her palm be pricked and she glared at the item before moving her squinted glare to her master. "What the fuck was that about?" She snapped at him with an unruly tone, like a high school delinquent.

Within those moments she felt like something was flowing through her, disorienting her for a few moments until a warm feeling took over. Yet only a few seconds later the feeling was gone. "What was that...?" She narrowed her eyes on her hand for a few moments before standing up and kicking the lightsaber back to her master, not wanting to touch it with her hands again.

Freely catching it in the air, Valad simply smiled at her, not having answered her question. "Secret," sticking his tongue out at her he would place the weapon on his hip. "Now that you're able to use the force, I have a gift for you." He tossed a box in her direction which had been held in his opposite hand.

Reaching out she caught the box which had "Lightsaber Kit," scribbled on it with some remnants of a sticker which had been stuck to it prior.

"You're giving me a lightsaber kit?" She asked with a brow raised before hopping down from the top of the transport and landing on her feet. The thud sound echoing throughout the hangar due to her boots being armored.

Nodding lightly to her, "There is a manual for the 'Jedi Arts' in the storage bay of my ship." He told her with a quiet snicker, folding his hands behind his back with an erect posture. "I'd like you to study the forms and figure out which ones suit you the most."

Slowly nodding to his instruction, Riané would look her master once over before leaning in and sniffing him. "New cologne?" She asked with a brow as she analyzed his scent, stepping closer to him.

He took a light step back, which looked like a blur as he enhanced his speed through the force. "Yes... Imported from Zeltron." He informed rather intrigued with the fact that she was still getting closer to him after smelling him before.

"So... It has pheromones in it?" Riané's face would be slightly flushed as she came closer to him, it was clear that the Zeltron perspiration cologne was effective in attracting the opposite sex in a sense.

"Quite clear the person the Cologne was derived from, was aroused in some way..." Valad made the observation of the girl coming closer to him to take in more of his scent. When he stopped backing away from her, before he knew it, her face was buried in his chest.

Valad slowly glanced downward as he heard her let out a low murmur. She seemed to relax into him, almost like a magnetic pillow to a pole. "Riané..." He lightly nudged her shoulder as her hands grasped at the sides of his tunic.

Opening the companion function within his toolbar for the first time, he stared at the status of his apprentice.

––––

Name: Riané

Age: Fourteen

Gender: Female

Race: Hapan

Level: Ten

Role: Apprentice

Status: Infatuated via Intoxication

----

"Oh? That explains my own infatuation..." Valad muttered seeing that this girl was not of Naboo, but rather a Hapan from the Hapan Cluster from the near opposite side of the Galaxy. Now how did she end up here?

Hapans were known for their otherworldly beauty and their inability to see during the night. Their cities were always lit because of this. So it was likely her parents had either been raiders or pirates, since they had ventured this far from home.

He could only assume she had a history of interstellar travel. Maybe her parents were spacers? Or they were mercenaries? Maybe smugglers? She was either clearly left behind or her parents had been killed or imprisoned.

From what he could see, he could easily extract this information, but he rather not. Seeing her this vulnerable just because of some pheromones was rather weird.

Letting out a soft sigh, he would undo the carapace from her shoulders, allowing her armor to loudly clammer to the ground. Using the force, he tossed the armor pieces into the open airlock door.

"Valad..." She murmured again, this time a bit more audible, just enough for him to make out his name. Looking up at him with her eyes, she smiled weakly no longer having the weight on her shoulders.

"Lets go into a fresher, shall we?" Valad offered, pretty much offering for her to come and go into a shower with him. She seemed to nod in agreement as he lead her to his private chambers within the Royal Palace. He stripped of his clothes and put them in the hamper once they entered.

Riané on the other hand clumsily fiddled with her attire until she got the utility belt off and pushed her pants down. Her legs were shaking slightly due to her odd overpowered reaction to the cologne.

Once she was down to the half-bodysuit, Valad helped her undress and lead her into the bathroom and opened the door to the shower causing steam to rush out.

Valad took her hand and lead her in, following suit. The shower was around two meters in diameter, more than enough room for the two of them to stand in the spherical pod-like room, abide close together.

Valad was the first to go under the water as he would gently pull the nervous Riané along. Though as the scent was being washed away, she began to slowly realize where she was and what was going on. Though she didn't notice until after a few minutes later when the door was sealed shut.

Still nervously standing under the water, covering herself. She began to feel Valad's hands running along her sides and then clasp in front of her. Gasping slightly as she felt his chest on her back. She rested her head against the man's chest and looked up at his face as he was looking back down at her.

His expression seemed to be that of observance, as if he was seeing if the stuff was still in effect. Her flush remained due to the hot water, but the look in her eyes had obviously changed. She also seemed to be trembling in his arms; not knowing what to expect.

"You alright?" Valad asked, the volume of his tone just above that of the water which was crashing down upon her hair. She felt the ornament holding her braid together fall and hit the ground, rolling over the drain and sitting there since it was too big to fall through.

Slowly she nodded and smiled up at him, this time a bit more genuine. He wasn't taking complete advantage of her, at least she hoped he wasn't. Even before smelling the Cologne, she already had lingering feelings for him due to the indoctrination, his gifts and him granting her freedoms.

Taking some of the clean shower water into her mouth, she would swallow softly and smile. Keeping her lips open as she smiled in the water, hearing and feeling it hit her teeth.

Reaching down, she'd take his hands off her waist and walk over to where the soups were and began to lather up a cloth before walking over to him and scrubbing his back as they stepped out form beneath the water.

Valad smiled lightly, he had never had anyone really wash him before, even though he had experienced some intimate times in the shower in his past life. This was a little different.

Without getting on her knees, she wrapped a single arm around him as she was scrubbing his arms and legs. She then moved up and around him and started scrubbing his face, despite him trying to move away.

Then once he was finished being washed, to her dismay, he gave her the same treatment. However he didn't leave any rock unturned or any cranny uncleaned. Valad went out of his way to completely cleanse any dirt that had built up on her person.

When they were all finished they stepped out of the shower and Valad immediately wrapped her a long towel which went from her shoulders, all the way down to her shins. It was a beach style towel, with was soft and quite formidable.

She picked up the ornament from the bottom to the shower as he tended to himself.

Valad used a somewhat smaller towel to dry himself off and wrapped it around his waist. Opening the door to the refresher, his eyes narrowed on Padmé who was waiting outside the room examining the armor carapace Riané had been wearing.

Though when she saw the duo come waddling out of the refresher, her face seemed to show some suppressed disappointment. It was written all over with the tips of her lips sucked in, the dead look in her eyes. She didn't exactly like the fact that he had taken another girl into the shower, even though he hadn't done anything as intimate with her other than steal a kiss.

'Oh boy...' Valad clearly didn't expect this.