Coruscant was a cynical place, in terms of its politics. There were not many Artemis Vandens here, but there was at least one who felt that he needed to be here and whose office, on many occasions, was seen alight into the long hours of the night. The Senator suspected that tonight could be another of those nights and so he did what he often did—walked the Senate's corridors, perused its gardens, and cleared his mind before he set about his work. He was, presently, on one of his sojourns, listening to the sound of his steps echoing in the austere, marble halls, when instead he heard a melody from somewhere further down the corridor. Mid Rim worlds were situated rather near each other in this building, and it wasn't far to Senator Cerra's office.

He passed through the empty foyer and entered upon her doorway cautiously, not wanting to disturb the Senator if she was busy. He saw her at her desk, lost in thought and seemingly troubled by something. He did not know Jan'ar Cerra well—both of them seemed to be recluses—although he'd seen her across the rotunda on occasion with a sort of sadness in her striking features, particularly as the Senate debated another of its more obscene proposals. Coruscant was a cynical place, and Vanden knew all too well how hard it was to remain idealistic these days. Perhaps even more so for Senator Cerra who, Vanden seemed vaguely to recall, had suffered some family tragedy of her own.

It just so happened that he had been meaning to speak with the Senator for some time on a matter of business, largely at the behest of King Mercutio who, Vanden suspected, had a romantic interest in the Senator and Queen of Garos. The King was notorious for his pursuits, but it just so happened that his proposal was a good one regardless of his ulterior motives and, Vanden decided, he would raise it with her now. He knocked softly on the door frame. "I hope I'm not disturbing you, m'lady," he said.

He knew, however, that his personal life was spoken of in his absense, because every so often a Lady of Ferentina or a Baroness of Theed would be suggested to him by his friends and colleagues in a conspiratorial manner. This was another reason that he spent more of his days on Coruscant of late. Although he, too, longed for someone else in much the same way that Ja'nar did especially on those cold nights at his estate by the lake, he was tormented by the memory of his wife and, although he knew Persephone would have wanted only his happiness, he felt regardless that it was too soon to move on—too soon to let go.

He returned her smile, although there was something vaguely sad in his. "May I?" he said pleasantly, having entered the office and gestured to a chair opposite her desk. He was dressed in simple Naboo attire, with a fern green waistcoat worn over his white dress shirt, the sleeves of which he'd rolled up in anticipation of a long night at work. As he sat down, it occurred to him that Senator Cerra was even more striking now than she appeared across the rotunda. Her dress, also, was quite complementary. "I know it's a bit late for business," he said, "but there's a proposal I've been meaning to discuss with you, and the Senate permits us so little time to do so."

"His Majesty is interested in broadening Naboo's academies and bringing in professors from other worlds, with other experiences," he explained, "Garos IV was mentioned as one such world, and I agreed. It is praised as a center of learning, as is Naboo. We suggest an exchange program of sorts, where some of our professors would teach on Garos IV, and some of yours would teach on Naboo. That is, if they would grant us the honor." He took another sip of the hot chocolate and noticed as he did so, quite randomly, that the midnight blue of her dress matched the evening sky behind her—the lights from passing speeders seemed to appear or disappear seamlessly about her contours in a manner that seemed, to Vanden, quite majestic.

He returned his thoughts to the present. "What do you think of the idea?" he asked.

"I've wondered," he said, "If you managed to contact my son? I've not spoken with him in some time—did he move the cargo you mentioned?"

As he thought to himself, his eyes absently followed a speeder that crossed his view, and the viewport, until he found himself, distracted, looking askance at the Senator. He glanced away, turning from the window and back toward the office proper. "Thank you for the hot chocolate," he said, "And for the distraction—our work can be tedious at times, as you know. In any case, I will work on the exchange program and have a proposal forwarded to your office this week."

He closed his eyes as he felt the warmth of her body against his. It had been so long. "I will," he said to her, faintly. It seemed their business had concluded, but he was reluctant to leave. Ahead of him was a long night of paperwork, facts, and figures. But all of that was back down the cold marble hall—the world outside of Jan'ar's office, outside of her eyes, that seemed so far away at this moment. "You are a singular woman, Jan'ar," he said to her, and meant it.