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There were no Senate meetings today or parties or political gatherings of any sort scheduled after Padmé and her retinue had returned from visiting Naboo. Queen Neeyutnee needed counsel on a wartime tax being implemented on Naboo. Uké could still see her in royal regalia, dark black and red Cyrene silks trimmed in purple, talking once again about how awful the war was.
While Queen Neeyutnee was mature for her youth, she heavily relied on other's caution so she could then choose the correct path. The Queen listened and then took quick action. She was slightly paranoid, but rightfully so.
"Please Senator, do what you can in the Senate to end this war. I do not wish to wear this paint much longer." She had said before Padmé had walked onto the Naboo Cruiser with Uké and Karté, who was a substitute for Dormé, behind her.
Naboo's war paint was a grave symbol to wear, rather than the blood red worn as a reminder on a normal monarch of Naboo's paint, it was a darker and somber ruby. Instead of smooth dots, spearheads adorned the Queen's white face. All of it in accordance with Naboo tradition and formality during wartime. Queen Amidala had once been scared that she might have had to bear those same marks during the occupation of the Trade Federation. Watching Rabé practice on Sabé's face in preparation had planted a seed with the weight of a black hole inside of her.
And now there was war.
It hung over everything. Padmé, while the image of beauty and perseverance had dark hallows underneath her eyes. Dormé's hands sometimes shook when applying creams to them from lack of her own sleep. Uké had taken multiple ice baths after training Motehi, a new handmaiden recruit, in hand to hand combat, she felt more bruised than usual.
After the recent death of Onaconda Farr, Typho had wanted to find handmaidens to fill Cordé's and Versé's places. It might have sounded cruel, but it was necessary. Motehi Delako looked similar enough to Padmé, even if she had a longer face she would still be a good decoy. She was picked from the Academy where she was training for the Naboo Security Guard. Motehi's original plan was to go to the University of Chemistry and Natural Biologies in Theed.
"So in other words she's good at poison?" Dormé had asked when Uké and Typho introduced Motehi's file.
Typho nodded, "Which is what we might need considering the means of Senator Farr's passing." He said the last part softly.
"He was poisoned by his aide for personal reasons," Padmé started, slight airy indignation rising in her voice, "And nothing else."
Uké twitched her nose and spoke loudly, putting her opinion in, "Well, I don't think it would hurt to have her."
Motehi had tried to step in and take care of the miscellaneous things Uké and Dormé couldn't, but each of them had their own specializations and until they had Motehi trained and another recruit fully trained, they would be running themselves thin for the time being.
