Stark Industries, Monday

[endsthegame]

There was an Ender at work.

Ender was... working.

He was also keeping up some interesting correspondence with a few of exobiologists somewhere very, very far away, but he was hardly going to go into the details.

[[ open, but sp until much much later ]]

Comments

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

Fiona had figured she should give Ender time, but she was a little curious about how his reading was going. That was why she slipped into the store and wandered over to the counter.

"Ender?"

[endsthegame]

"Fiona."

Now there was a voice he hadn't heard for months, but Ender caught himself gracefully. "Hey," he said, and closed his laptop.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"You didn't have to stop," she admitted as she made her way in.

"How're you?"

[endsthegame]

"I didn't have to," Ender allowed, smiling slightly, "But that doesn't mean I won't want to. I've been busy, but good. You?"

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"About the same, though it's been a while so the question is a little awkward," she pointed out, somewhat more detailed than was necessary.

"I'm glad you're well, though."

[endsthegame]

His mouth curled up lightly. "It's only awkward if you don't mean it," he pointed out. "If you're judging on the scale of formality, maybe. But I choose not to."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"Good for me, then. Or well, lucky for me."

She glanced around the room for a moment before speaking again.

"Did those books I lent you help with things?"

[endsthegame]

"They have been," he allowed. "If you want, I can get them back to you pretty soon - I've made the necessary annotations on my laptop." A pause. "Although that's back to making this conversation sound more awkward than it should. Grab a seat."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She shook her head.

"I don't need them back. I just wanted to know if they were helpful. And, well, if there was anything else you might like to borrow. I know some of the notes in there reference other volumes I didn't give you."

[endsthegame]

"They were helpful," he agreed. "Which references jump to mind -- if you don't mind me getting specific like that. There's obviously a lot of levels on which exobiology doesn't quite cross over with biology as we know it."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"More the citations," she said with a faint smile, "since some of them are parts of collections."

[endsthegame]

"I didn't really mark anything out," he said, with an apologetic smile. "And I don't have particular questions right now, but we can always take some time to look them through."

And subtly compare notes on the Formics without him actively comparing notes on the Formics. Shh. Don't tell Ben.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"That might be good," she said with a quick nod.

"I don't usually have much going on other than Tuesdays. So whenever you're free."

[endsthegame]

"I'm free most days," he said, lightly. "Barring today, obviously, and I have play rehearsals on Tuesday. So a Wednesday, maybe, or Thursday."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"Play rehearsals?"

She grinned.

"I'm supposedly helping with the crew when I can. So maybe I'll see you. But, um. Thursday?"

She was going out with Azula on Wednesday, after all.

[momslilassassin]

Ben came into the shop, two cups of coffee in his hands. "Ho, Ender."

[endsthegame]

"Ho, Ben." Shut went the laptop, and a friendly smile was offered. "I'm surprised you're not completely sick of consumption after class."

[momslilassassin]

"Coffee will aid in digestion," Ben informed him with a grin. "More classes should be all about eating."

[endsthegame]

"I'm not putting asking Zoe for an ice cream class no matter how much you beg," he said, reaching one hand out for the coffee. "Add in your choice comment about feeling free to try, anyway."

[momslilassassin]

Ben laughed and handed the coffee over. "I could expand it to dessert appreciation?"

[endsthegame]

"That would just be an excuse to attack people with whipped cream," Ender said, dryly, "And I'm not sure our sophomoric brains can handle that."

[momslilassassin]

Ben made a mental note to have their coffees come with whipped cream next week. "Oh, I'm sure we could handle it," he said loftily. "It's not like today's class, where we were supposed to be hugging everyone."

[endsthegame]

"I didn't know that was outside of the Skywalker code of ethics."

[momslilassassin]

"We're not a real...huggy...group. Well, other than Aunt Leia and Jaina," Ben said.

Poking people, sure. Hugging? Not really. Ben was more comfortable with slightly violent displays of affection.

[endsthegame]

Ender's eyebrow went up. "Are you accusing Jaina of being huggy?"

[momslilassassin]

"Compared to the rest of us, yeah," Ben said with a tiny smile.

The Skywalker/Solos were a little messed up.

[endsthegame]

"I'm not sure what she'd say about that," Ender said, wryly. "I should ask Val."

The Wiggins pretty much said 'I love you' by manipulating each other's asses off, so he was in no position to judge.

[momslilassassin]

"I'm sure they spend lots of time together hugging and painting their toe nails," Ben said, laughing.

[endsthegame]

"I wouldn't put it past Val," Ender said, seriously, but didn't elaborate. "How are things at home?"

[momslilassassin]

"Quiet," Ben said. "Jaina's off with her boyfriend," he resisted rolling his eyes about that choice, "Uncle Han and Aunt Leia are finalizing the adoption of a war orphan, and Dad is being Dad."

[endsthegame]

"Well, that last one covers all the bases."

[momslilassassin]

Ben flashed him a smile. "I didn't think you really wanted a breakdown of internal Jedi politics, but--"

[endsthegame]

Ender's expression was wry, if anything. "Hit me, Skywalker," he said, "I'm always happy to hear it."

[momslilassassin]

"Well, the Council is split about whether the Jedi should return full time to Coruscant," Ben replied. "Usually, we have the Academy on Ossus, but after Jacen attacked it, the Masters don't really want to go back very quickly. They think the younglings might react badly. They're thinking of setting up the academy on our last base and then just having the bare minimum of Jedi in Coruscant." He shrugged. "It probably won't end up that way. Coruscant is where the power is. If you don't want to be completely run over, you need to watch the Senate and the Chief of State."

[endsthegame]

"Ah, paranoia between powers," he noted, "Although it's good you have the split. Won't the Jedi moving back to Coruscant be considered a power play, though?"

[momslilassassin]

"To the paranoid, yes," Ben replied, nodding, "but the Temple has been there--or at least some form of the Temple--for ten thousand years. The government should be used to us by now."

[endsthegame]

"Should being the operative word," he said. "I wonder how many wars got started just because governments got tired of someone looking over their shoulder."

[momslilassassin]

Ben's lips quirked up into a smile. "That sounds like a project to me. I'd say the last...three of four at home could be considered variations on that. The fourth was a search for more resources."

[endsthegame]

"The other great cause of world war," Ender said, cracking a wry smile. "But you have to admit that basing the Jedi on Coruscant has made potentially military situations more volatile."

[momslilassassin]

"But keeping the Jedi off of Coruscant would look like exile," Ben said, "and give the new government too much power, right?"

[endsthegame]

"That depends," Ender said, thoughtfully. "I'm not going to pretend to know every scrap of history that's playing in this discussion, of course, but thinking of it as a theoretical case-- it wouldn't be impossible to leave a sizable enough Jedi outpost on Coruscant without basing the entire temple there."

[momslilassassin]

Ben nodded. "Ever since the Great Purge, it's just good sense not to keep us all clumped in one place anyway. Almost half of the Jedi are normally away on missions to begin with. The younglings don't need to grow up on Coruscant--it's apparently a lot easier to learn about the Force somewhere that isn't teeming with politics and deviousness."