The Gig [Tuesday]

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

Aravis had been, at least, a larger child this time around. She'd been three last year.

Either way, the maturity level seemed somewhat similar.

In any case, she was devoting her time to grooming the horses carefully today, mostly to lose herself in her thoughts.

[stupid holiday and lack of sleep and school. I'm around for like an hour and then AFK all day, so super SP]

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[momslilassassin]

Ben swallowed his embarrassment and walked to the Gig, two enormous cups of hot chocolate in his hands like peace offerings.

"Hi."

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

Aravis gave him a faint smile. "Hello."

[momslilassassin]

"I talk now," he said, blushing hard.

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

Aravis raised a brow. "Were you mute before?"

She knew what he'd meant.

[momslilassassin]

"Pretty close to it," Ben admitted. "I didn't talk much for my first, oh, six years."

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"And I was a perfect child," she said, smiling lightly.

[momslilassassin]

"Three year old me thought so," Ben said, still blushing. "You had a horse."

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"I was that old when this happened last year," she told him. "I didn't have a horse then."

[momslilassassin]

"I'd forgotten how tall everything used to be," he said, holding out the cup towards her.

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"Everything is still tall," she informed him, smiling as she took the cup.

[momslilassassin]

Ben smiled. "Look how much I've grown," he said. "I won't make a short joke today."

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"I'm so proud of you," she said dryly.

[momslilassassin]

His grin got wider. "I don't think I've ever been so dirty in my life," he admitted. "Gavin's a terrible influence."

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"He is," Aravis agreed. "Why now?"

[momslilassassin]

"He got me to sit in a mud puddle," Ben replied.

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"He had to convince you?" she asked dubiously. "All the small boys I've ever known have loooved mud."

[momslilassassin]

"I was a neat kid," Ben said. "Besides, my nanny droid wouldn't let me near that stuff."

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"Neither would Rishti's and my governesses," Aravis said, smirking. "That didn't stop us."

[momslilassassin]

Ben smiled. "I wasn't on planets with a lot of dirt very often. Engine grease was more my choice."

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"Ew," Aravis said delicately.

[momslilassassin]

Ben grinned. "Yeah. It was fun. I tried to fix things early on. Mom and Dad didn't appreciate it."

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"Were you not good at it?" she wondered.

[momslilassassin]

"Not particularly," Ben admitted with a laugh. "And I'd try to take parts from things that were already working. Artoo chased me through the ship one time when I came after him with a multitool."

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"I mostly just tried to steal the horses and smuggle puppies in," Aravis admitted.

[momslilassassin]

Ben grinned. "I only had one pet and it tried to kill Mom. Whoops?"

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"What kind of pet?" she asked, mildly alarmed.

[momslilassassin]

"The kind that make Natalie and Shanie spaz out Pretty much a giant bug named Gorog. It's a species called a Killik."

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

Aravis looked simultaneously disgusted and intrigued. "Ewww."

[momslilassassin]

"Yeah," Ben said. "It's why I wasn't allowed to have any other pets."

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"I can hardly blame your parents," she replied, shaking her head.

[momslilassassin]

He grinned, completely unrepentant. "Other than that I was a model child."

Big liar.

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I'm sure," she said, laughing. "You showed no signs of misbehavior this weekend."

[momslilassassin]

"I was a quiet toddler," Ben said, understating things by a fairly wide margin.

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"You were a near-silent toddler," she corrected.

[momslilassassin]

"There was a war," Ben said. "Different one. It had been very loud in my head, so I stopped talking. Figured there was enough noise."

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"I simply thought you were shy," she admitted.

[momslilassassin]

"I was that too," Ben said. "I hadn't spent a lot of time with people."