"I've been thinking," Elesse says on one of those occasions, Anakin's head in her lap and the hand she's not using to hold a datapad tangled up in Anakin's hair, "about your name, my dear."

She'd be purring, if she had the right vocal chords. Instead she's making a pleased humming noise.

But the mention of her name brings her out of her blissful meditation. It's something she's craved ever since learning about her full relationship with Elesse -

It feels like an important part of being her girlfriend's daughter.

"Did you pick one?" she asks excitedly.

"I think so. Not the name I would have chosen for my infant, but one that accounts for the woman I know you to be."

Beam! And anticipatory wiggle. 

She leans down to place a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

"Nexuha. My little kitten, so fierce with her smile."

!!!

Kiss!!!

Ah good, she likes it.

And break to nuzzle and say: "Thank you, mom."

"You are most welcome, my dear Nexuha."

Nnnnf.

She slides off her mother's lap to kneel before her, looking up at her with flushed cheeks and a bright smile and eager eyes. "Please let me thank you properly."

Elesse sets the datapad down. "I could never refuse you."

Best mom (and Nexuha gets to be such a good girl for her).

And cuddles after? 

Of course. Cuddles and pets.

And happy purring Nexuha!

Perfection.

Alas, eventually Nexuha should probably get back to her duties...

Which makes her think...

"Elesse..." she says, voice quiet. "I - think I wanna tell Lily my name?"

"And where you received it?" she questions.

" - She's going to ask."

"You will need to have an answer for her."

"...She's going to get a lot of information from whatever I say or don't say."

"I - I and Sangua've gotten pretty far with just asking her to not pry into things. But - where I got my name is... That shouldn't be something I'm hiding? Or like - not answering or asking her not to pry will reveal a lot, since normally it'd be something I'd share. And I'm not - good at lying to her. - I don't think anyone is good at lying to her actually but she can always tell when I'm lying, and lying about where I got my name would be worse..."

Modeling how Lily models her is weirdly hard, but hiding Elesse being also Darth Sidious and Sangua being a Sith now has required Nexuha to step up her game there.

"Then perhaps it would be best to tell her it was me, kitten. Your good friend the Senator."

Soft kiss. "She might get a lot from that, too. I wouldn't let just anyone name me."

"Master Palpatine being who she is, we will have to give her something eventually. This seems... a better reason than some."