Stark Industries, Monday

[endsthegame]

Ender hadn't really noticed anything being strange until the radio broadcast on Saturday. He felt it was only useful to spend most of his time on the mouse-droid anyway, as well as his plans for the satellite. Going out while the world went crazy wasn't his idea of constructive, and because it was Fandom, it went away anyway.

On Monday, he did head into Stark's, though. If it'd been a weekend, things should be back to normal. If it hadn't, there was still plenty of work to do, and he could keep doing it.

[ open! ]

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[momslilassassin]

Ben poked his head through the door as usual. "Ho, Ender."

[endsthegame]

"Ho, Ben," he answered automatically. He was welding something, but he put it aside for safety. "I hear the weekend was pretty bad."

[momslilassassin]

"I lived in the woods," Ben said with a small grin. "It was different."

[endsthegame]

"Pick up any stray animals?" Ender asked, leaning over his desk.

[momslilassassin]

Ben laughed. "No, but I did get hit on by an old lady...."

[endsthegame]

"But she didn't follow you home?" Ender said, "Sloppy hermitting."

[momslilassassin]

"Excellent hermitting!" Ben replied. "How else could I be a hermit? Love 'em and leave 'em. Old hermitting motto."

It wasn't.

[endsthegame]

"I don't doubt that," Ender replied. He leaned back, not sure whether he should be grateful he hadn't changed for a very short while until he realised that yes, he was. He had precious little time to be Ender as it was, to name one thing, and he hadn't earned it. "So it wasn't too bad?"

[momslilassassin]

"I turned into the Jedi I was named for," Ben said. "It was kind of...nice."

[endsthegame]

"Just nice, then. Not very impressive," Ender said. He was poking at Ben a little bit, and he was starting to wonder when the mechanical banter had turned to teasing.

[momslilassassin]

"Oh, he was very impressive," Ben declared. "Just...old. He and my grandfather had a conversation that I'm pretty sure Granddad won't want me to remember."

[endsthegame]

"Better make sure you enable his repression, then," Ender said, sitting back. "So they knew each other?"

[momslilassassin]

"Granddad was his pupil," Ben said. "Obi-Wan--that was his name, though he went by Ben when my dad knew him--was not particularly pleased with some decisions Granddad had made. Like...twenty years of them."

[endsthegame]

"I think where I see that story is going," Ender opined. He'd heard enough of Anakin Skywalker by now to paint that picture. "Did he survive the conversation?"

[momslilassassin]

Ben nodded. "And that was the really weird part," he said. "Granddad was apologetic. Well, for him. He never admits he makes mistakes."

[endsthegame]

"Nobody escapes it forever." His mouth twitched into a wry little smirk, "There's just hoping you won't have to do it often. Ben must've been different."

[momslilassassin]

"I can kind of see why Dad hero-worshiped him," Ben said, nodding. "I don't think I'll be half the Jedi he was, but it was good to get to know him. In that weird Fandom way, anyhow. Did you turn into something too?"

[endsthegame]

"I think the island thought that Ender being Ender was bad enough," Ender said, that little smirk utterly failing to leave his face. "The mouse-droid kept me company."

[momslilassassin]

"Is it still bringing you breakfast?" Ben asked, grinning back.

[endsthegame]

"It is," Ender said. And that had been really useful. "So I guess I'll have to let you off the hook on that one."

[momslilassassin]

"How big of you," Ben teased. "What are you working on today?"

[endsthegame]

"I'm a big man," Ender said, without a hint of irony. "Cooling system. I'm pretty sure."

[momslilassassin]

"Oh, those are fun," Ben said excitedly.

[endsthegame]

"I've been trying to work out the wiring all weekend," he said, patting the project in question. "Space is tricky. Who knew."

[momslilassassin]

"There's also a lot of it," Ben told him, "just in case you were putting together a list of things that are obvious."

[endsthegame]

"Warmer than you'd think," Ender pointed out, "In a spaceship."

[momslilassassin]

"Especially when Dad's flying," Ben said with a smile. "He likes things Tatooine warm."

[endsthegame]

"Another place I need to see one of these days."

The more Ender thought about it, the more spacetravel seemed like the logical option.

[momslilassassin]

"I can show you on the flight simulator," Ben offered, wondering why he hadn't thought of that before. "It's not the real thing, obviously, but it's a lot less boring there."

[endsthegame]

"I wouldn't mind that," he replied. He hadn't seen the flight simulator before; while he'd worked from a POV standpoint, Ender had never actually flown anything.

But seeing Tattooine might be interesting. "I won't get as much sand in my shoes that way."

[momslilassassin]

"And it's not nearly as smelly," Ben said oh-so-diplomatically. "I'm sure Granddad would let me use it again. Jaina's in there all the time."

[endsthegame]

"So let's do that," Ender said, "It's not as if I have a lot to do between classes except work on Stark's satellite."

You could only argue with Tony Stark so many times in one week.

[momslilassassin]

"After Flight Club on Wednesday, then?" Ben suggested. "Granddad will give me the lecture on not eating, drooling or breathing on anything because it makes him feel better, and then we'll be good to go."

[endsthegame]

"I solemnly swear not to throw up on the flight simulator," said Ender, smirking a little bit. "So yes." He hadn't seen Anakin in a while, anyway.

[momslilassassin]

Ben grinned back. "It's always fun to mess with him," he admitted. "Especially since he has no sense of humor."

[endsthegame]

"Neither do I," Ender said, seriously.

[momslilassassin]

"I keep hoping that if I visit enough, you'll get one," Ben teased.

[endsthegame]

"You'll just have to keep trying," Ender replied, "But I won't promise you anything."