Stark Industries, Monday

[endsthegame]

Another day, another dollar, or however the proverb went.

Ender was just glad that whatever had happened over the weekend was far in the past by now. He had more important things to do - like transmitting some personal research over to Shakespeare Colony for the governor to pour over.

Any way he could help, really.

The HELP WANTED sign was still out by the window, but Ender was hard at work.

[[ open! ]]

Comments

[momslilassassin]

And where there was an Ender, there was generally going to be a Ben eventually.

He popped into the store now with lunch and ice cream, a silent apology for how things had gone on Friday.

"Ho, Ender."

[endsthegame]

"Ho, Ben," Ender said, glancing up from his laptop. He'd been reading over a report he'd been sent about the latest findings about the Gold Bugs; it might have taken him a minute to actually respond to Ben.

There was a reason Valentine sometimes told him he was in danger of turning into a distracted old professor.

[momslilassassin]

"What's got you so distracted?" Ben asked. "It can't be the reactor."

[endsthegame]

"I'm just going through some research data Shakespeare Colony sent me on the local wildlife," Ender said, finally getting around to shutting his laptop.

[momslilassassin]

"Did they find rancors?" Ben replied, handing over the ice cream first.

[endsthegame]

"No rancors," he said, "Just data on the gold bugs. Nothing groundbreaking, but it's interesting." He took the ice cream with both hands. "Thanks."

[momslilassassin]

"You're welcome," Ben said with a little smile. "What about the bugs? Have they found bugs made of other metals too?"

[endsthegame]

"Just the gold ones," Ender said, "Time will tell on the rest of it."

He took a bite of ice cream (and managed to smear it over his face in the process, but he'd take that with dignity). "Exciting weekend so far? Since I can't glean by whatever you're muttering when you get back to 204 at this juncture."

[momslilassassin]

"Jaina got visited by puppies on Saturday," Ben said with a litle frown. He hadn't gotten puppies. "Oh, and I met Hiccup and Toothless."

[endsthegame]

"Hiccup mentioned something like that," Ender said, a little wryly. "I take it the two of you didn't claw each other's eyes out."

[momslilassassin]

"That would hardly be a polite first conversation," Ben said, grinning, "and I need to be nice so I can get to ride on Toothless."

He was mostly kidding.

[endsthegame]

"Riding Toothless is pretty cool," Ender admitted, "Although I don't know why I keep making friends who think going at top velocity is fun."

[momslilassassin]

"Because you have a deeply hidden reckless streak," Ben decided. "And because flying is astral."

[endsthegame]

"I think I prefer zero-G," Ender pontificated. "I think I'll have fun picturing you two bouncing around at those enormous speeds you like to go at."

[momslilassassin]

Ben laughed. "Well, if you need me to fire up the shuttle again, just let me know."

[endsthegame]

"Please," Ender said, "Don't insult me. Your shuttle is way too small to contain the both of you."

[momslilassassin]

Ben reached out to muss Ender's hair. "I meant the two of us, kreetle. Toothless would never be able to figure out the controls."

The mental image of him trying was amusing, though.

[endsthegame]

Ender snorted. "Are you trying to compete with a dragon, Skywalker?" he asked, amused.

[momslilassassin]

"Never," Ben replied, eyes twinkling. "At least not without more research."

[endsthegame]

"Dragons won't get you to the moon," he said, "But they'll go pretty far. And they have the advantage of pointy teeth - I know how attracted your family is to those."

[momslilassassin]

"Oh, totally," Ben said. "One of these days I'll show you a Sarlacc. It's all teeth."

[endsthegame]

"Father, aunt, cousins, grandfather?" Ender asked, immediately.

[momslilassassin]

"It lived in the Tatooine desert," Ben said. "Dad and Uncle Han were going to be dinner for it. Uncle Lando too. Mom and Aunt Leia were there watching. This was years before Mom and Dad met, though."

Ben's family life was special.

[endsthegame]

"So an early family reunion above a thing full of teeth," Ender surmised, "Sounds about right to me."

Because Ender's family habits were so much better.

[momslilassassin]

"Especially if you know that one of Mom and Dad's first dates was her killing his clone," Ben said. "Karla thinks this explains a lot."

[endsthegame]

"Karla would be right, in one way of looking at the world," Ender intoned, "But what is the symptom and what is the cause? Did the mortal peril come before the Skywalker, or did the Skywalker come before the mortal peril?"

It was possible he was feeling a little silly.

[momslilassassin]

"We tend to arrive simultaneously," Ben said with a laugh. "I think we come first, then the peril."

[endsthegame]

"You might look into making that commercially viable," Ender said, seriously. "Skywalkers 'r' us, delivers peril at your leisure, money-back guarantee."

[momslilassassin]

Ben reached out to muss Ender's hair. "If that Jedi thing doesn't pan out, I'll look into it," he promised. "They have to provide their own creature that wants to eat us, though. It only seems fair."