Stark Industries, Monday

[endsthegame]

With the arc reactor project, Ender had something to at least pretend to be working on at work again. Well, 'pretend' was the wrong word - he was working on it, going through the documentation, checking the palm pilot's worth of data Stark had given him to figure out what was what.

This was going to be a long-term project.

It's just that he was checking his email for more data from time to time. That still counted as working.

[[ open, but same SP warning as last week! ]]

Comments

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

It wasn't every day that you woke up and found yourself to be a cat, really, but Valentine couldn't exactly say she was surprised. She knew something like this was coming eventually, so she was glad to finally have it over with. And, since she was a cat, she'd used it to her advantage, stretched out in ways only accomplished by a cat, and slept in, luxuriantly as only a cat can truly manage.

And while she was clearly resourceful enough to figure out how to get out of her room and out of the dorms in her current form (which meant she could also be resourceful in finding food, especially toying, idly, at the idea of hunting, but it wouldn't be the first time she realized she had claws and decided not to use them....yet), she decided to seek out instead someone else. If anything, she figured Ender should probably know his sister was a cat right now.

So there was a very thoughtful looking cat, nosing and pawing at the door of Stark Industry, trying to be resourceful again in getting it open.

[endsthegame]

The door to Stark Industries opened with time. Ender had spent enough time in Fandom that he knew that any animal could be a student, or something else that should be minded. He squatted down to meet the cat at face level, tilting his head. "Student or housepet?" he asked, wryly.

There was something in the cat's tilt.

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

There should be something more to it than just its tilt. A cool, familiar look and as much of an arched eyebrow as a cat could deliver was all the response Ender received. But Valentine figured that's all he'd need. He was a smart kid, after all.

[endsthegame]

The edges of Ender's mouth tugged up for a few moments.

"Val?" he guessed, reaching out for her.

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

Brilliant deduction. Of course, Valentine couldn't exactly say that, so she just wound up answering Ender this time by nudging her forehead into Ender's outstretched hand and gave what could possibly be the wryest purr ever.

[endsthegame]

"Either you're a cat who'll do anything for affection," Ender said, scritching behind her ears, "Or you're Val-- or both."

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

Ignore the continued purring and the stretch of all her newly feline graces to get the most out of that ear scritching. Pay attention only to the calculatingly challenging look in the cat's eyes, please, maintained even through the cat-like instincts that, apparently, couldn't say no to scritches even when resenting any comments toward her nature being made because of them.

[endsthegame]

"Come on," Ender just replied, sounding slightly amused but not too much.

He pushed forward to brush her up into his arms, pulling her close. If this was Val, he'd have to take care.

[momslilassassin]

"Ho, Ender," Ben said, smiling a little wanly as he walked through the door. "I need droid parts."

Because he'd been working all night, as the shadows under his eyes might attest.

[endsthegame]

"I can tell," said Ender, who had a box resting under the desk he wasn't going for just yet.

[momslilassassin]

His smile turned more genuine. "I forgot that you were a genius," he teased. "What do I need, then?"

[endsthegame]

"First, you need to sit down," Ender said, nodding his head at one of the chairs.

[momslilassassin]

Ben walked over and sat backwards in the chair, resting his chin on the back. "Now what?"

[endsthegame]

Ender reached under his desk. The package - which in itself also contained a desk, albeit a primitive version, assembled from what he remembered and judicious use of Stark's holo technology - found its way into his hands.

He put it up on the table in front of him.

"If you'd like, I can sing you some birthday songs."

[momslilassassin]

Ben burst out laughing as he began opening his present. "I would like."

[endsthegame]

"Happy birthday to you," Ender intoned, sitting back. "Happy birthday, Ben Skywalker - and that you don't trip on your boot."

[momslilassassin]

Ben temporarily stopped unwrapping the gift to applaud. "You really have a career ahead of you in the singing industry," he said cheekily before going back to the gift. "Is this a desk?" he asked eagerly.

[endsthegame]

"In theory, built with 21st century means," Ender had to add, wryly. "I'm trying to put one together with the functionality we have back home, but I'm afraid my talents don't stretch that far."

[momslilassassin]

Ben was already poking at buttons in delight. "It's astral anyway. Thank you!"