padme_n (padme_n) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2019-08-30 15:54:00 |
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Entry tags: | padme amidala, peter parker (spider-man) |
Who: Padme and Peter Parker
What: Peter's got a job to do and so does Padme
When: Yesterday
Where: [random country club]
Rating: Green
Status: Complete
Another night, another gala. Now that fundraising for election season was ramping up, Padmé was being suckered into helping her mother with another event. Normally, Padmé tried her best to avoid these situations, but when her mother said that she wouldn’t have to attend Sunday dinner…. Well. That was a good trade-off.
So she did what she did best: planned and organized and put together a very polished evening. Like usual, she was at the front with the guestlist, ensuring that everyone was put together and that the dress code was strictly enforced. After all, the country club had very clear guidelines and -- oh good lord. Her thoughts were interrupted when a rather ...slovenly looking gentlemen showed up. She blinked a few times when he gave his name and she was about to call security when she realized he was the photojournalist.
“Oh. I’m sorry. No. No no. This won’t do. You ...did get the invite, correct? The dress code was clearly stated and I’m afraid you can’t enter without a suit jacket. And polished shoes. And ...a tie.” She looked mortified for the man and bit her bottom lip. “Are you sure this is the event you’re supposed to cover?” There were many prominent speakers, and she knew why it was being covered by the media… but this..this wouldn’t do. And Padme wasn’t about to risk her reputation by allowing him in this way.
Political functions, for the most part, were pretty easy jobs for a photojournalist. All you really had to do was go around the room, taking photos of politicians smiling and being friendly and standing at the podium giving speeches. It wasn’t as though there was much digging that could be done at these kinds of things; politicians and their backers usually tended to be on their best behaviour with this kind of thing.
It was easy money, but it wasn’t the kind of thing that Peter especially enjoyed. Getting dressed up and rubbing elbows was exhausting, and so he figured he’d just forgo both of those things. At least, that’s what he’d thought until he was stopped at the door.
He lifted the camera that he had hanging around his neck, as if the woman at the door wouldn’t have been able to see it without him holding it up for her. “You don’t have to worry,” he said. “I’ll be behind the camera the whole time. No one will even see me.” Well, the people there would, but he doubted they’d take much notice of him.
Padme gave a firm shake of her head. “The rules are fairly strict, Mr. Parker,” she said, almost apologetically. In all truth, the man, as disheveled as he was, looked comfortable, and she knew that good work came from being comfortable. And her mother would be annoyed to know Padme turned away the media. Not when the Senator had just had her botox and looked as impeccable as ever.
But she couldn’t let it go.
She held onto her elbows and tapped her feet for a moment before an idea came to her. “Can you wait please?” Heading to the concierge desk, she spoke with the attendant for a moment before coming back to the line. With a smile, she did the ‘follow me’ with her finger.
Getting a key from the attendant, she walked behind the concierge and unlocked an unmarked door. With the light turned on, she put her arm up in a pose. “Lost and Found. Except these are all wealthy people who don’t care if they lose anything. Take your pick -- there’s bound to be something that will fit you here.”
Peter wasn’t especially keen on the idea of being turned away himself. He couldn’t be sure, but there was a good chance that being turned away from a major news event like this one because he hadn’t bothered putting on a tie of all things would get him fired. To be fair, that would track with the general luck of his entire life, so maybe he shouldn’t have been so surprised.
But then the girl at the door was leading him somewhere, and there he was, looking through the discarded clothing of the rich and famous. He lifted up a black suit jacket that looked about his size and slipped it over his shoulders. “This jacket probably costs more than everything in my closet put together,” Peter muttered to himself, rolling his shoulders to make sure that it didn’t pull to much in there. Hell, it was probably worth more than his entire paycheque, and here it was, being thrown away by someone who probably considered it the cheapest thing they’d ever owned.
“Hm?” Padme turned her attention back to Peter, having been distracted looking at the shoes. The excess in the room bothered her as well, and she wondered if she could make an arrangement for it to go to the Jean Grey Centre. Some of these items would be perfect for youth going to interviews, or even for prom. It wasn’t like anyone cared about this stuff anyways.
Picking a pair, she reached for a handkerchief and lightly polished them. “These should fit. If you’d like, you can give me your current pair and I’ll ensure you get them at the end of the evening.” Handing them over, she smiled. “Now all we need is a tie, and I think I can present you to my mother.”
Had she introduced herself? She couldn’t remember. Best to do it again, just to be sure.
“I’m Senator Naberrie’s eldest, Padme.”
Those shoes didn’t look anywhere near as comfortable as the holey sneakers Peter was currently wearing, but he took the shoes anyway, slipped off his own, and then sat down so he could lace on the new ones.
He started a little when Padme introduced herself, and quickly thought back to their conversation so far to make sure he hadn’t said anything that might get him fired. Relatively certain he hadn’t yet, he relaxed a little. “I guess you’d be a good judge over whether someone’s dressed appropriately then,” he said. “I’m Peter. Peter Parker.” She knew that already, he realized belatedly. “Thanks for this.”
Padmé waved off his thanks. "Not a problem," she replied cheerfully. "I know how these events can be if you're not really used to them. My ….boyfriend, he tends to let me dress him for these because otherwise, he'd probably show up in something covered in grease or motor oil."
Could she call Anakin her boyfriend?
Oh why not, what did this man know anyways.
Motioning to him to come over, she looped a tie around his neck and effortlessly finished dressing him. "You know," she said slowly, "you're not half bad. I bet you could keep all this too if you'd like. Keep it in your car as emergency clothes. Since you seem to go on assignments and all."
Peter stepped back, looking for a mirror, but of course he wouldn’t find one tucked away in the coat area. Still, he self-consciously adjusted his tie. He did not like them at all. “I probably haven’t worn one of these since my wedding,” he muttered. It was an exaggeration; he’d definitely had to wear them for stories before, but he couldn’t really remember any of those times.
“I can, huh? Maybe I can come back in here after all this is done and take anything else that might fit me,” he joked. Well, mostly joked. His wardrobe probably could use a bit of an update, and everything that was in here was probably more than he could ever afford regularly.
At the mention of a wedding, Padme couldn’t help but perk up. She loved hearing about people’s weddings -- was a byproduct of the job. But then she realized he didn’t have a ring on, and maybe discretion was a better route to follow here.
“It’s certainly a possibility. I can leave your name at the front desk, and any time you have a job here, you could come into this room?” Sometimes, jokes were lost on Padme and she didn’t realize at first that that was what he was saying until she started to leave the room. “Oh! You were kidding weren’t you?” A small blush creeped across her cheeks.
“Um, you could go to the bathroom over there,” she motioned down a hall, “and then I can take you into the room? Maybe give you some time with my mother? That way, you can do your photo shoot now, get the quips you need, and then I can introduce you around to others?”
Why yes, she was trying to save face. She hoped it was working.
Peter couldn’t help but smile as she took him so seriously. “Just a little,” he answered. It had been a long time since anyone had actually taken him seriously.
“Thanks,” he said. He wasn’t a reporter, but getting up close and personal with the senator meant that he was more likely to get exactly the kind of photos he wanted. Besides, he supposed there was something to the whole networking thing, even if it wasn’t something that he’d been especially interested in in the last few years. “I’ll be right out,” he said, and then he disappeared into the bathroom so that he could get changed.
Padme held onto her elbows while she waited for Peter to come out, giving herself a mental shake. Being at these events always made her more formal, as she was just waiting for her parents to say something about how she acted.
When Peter came out, she gave an approving smile. “Perfect. Now, if you’ll follow me, Mr. Parker. I’m sure you’ll be very happy with what you came for.”
And no one would criticize Padme for letting in a less than stellar photographer.