Starks [at least for now], Friday, September 24

[momslilassassin]

Ben was hardly a stranger to how Stark's was set up, but it was the first time he'd been in the shop unsupervised, which was why he might look like most kids would in a candy store.

...no one ever accused him of being all that normal.

He was behind the counter bright and early that morning, fiddling around with a mouse droid and eager to earn his paycheck so he could get rid of that damn arm tattoo help the community with their technology woes.

Comments

[glacial_queen]

"New director, and, no, I don't think they do," Karla said wryly. "He sniffed and declared me adequate before sending me on my way." She shrugged a bit, leaning against some big, metal thing that was probably quite scientific and very expensive. "So we'll see."

[momslilassassin]

"He thinks you're only adequate?" Ben snorted derisively. "What kind of stars is he expecting to find around here?"

[glacial_queen]

"I didn't have a monologue prepared, so I just read one that he handed me," Karla pointed out, just to be fair. "It's a lot harder to do well when you're cold-reading something."

She bit her lip so she wouldn't smile at Ben. Such a Warlord Prince.

[momslilassassin]

"How did the old director run auditions?" he asked.

[glacial_queen]

"He usually asked us to come in with something already prepared," Karla said. "I mean, he had some scripts ready if people came in off the street--" which, admittedly, was what Karla had done "--but he usually let people prepare in advance."

Maybe Genesis thought this would put everyone on equal footing?

[momslilassassin]

Ben was thinking along the same lines. "So the new guy wanted to see how you all reacted without practice?"

[glacial_queen]

"That's kind of what I'm guessing," Karla said, nodding a bit. "So...adequate is probably a fair enough assessment. Darkness knows I was awful when I was pretending to be Raven that time."

Stupid lack of contractions.

[momslilassassin]

Ben's eyebrows drew together. "You're not planning on reprising that particular performance again, right?"

[glacial_queen]

"Not for all the honey-pear orchards in Nharkhava," Karla assured him. "I find I'm much more convincing my acting efforts take place on the stage."

[momslilassassin]

"I liked them when I saw them," Ben added with a grin. "Want me to make sure Warren sees it too, if you get cast?"

[glacial_queen]

Karla glanced down at her hands and mumbled something mostly intelligible. Ben might have gotten confused--or even thought the worst--if Karla hadn't been kind of nodding and smiling at the same time.

[momslilassassin]

"Dork," Ben said fondly.

[glacial_queen]

"Shut up!"

Great. Now she was blushing.

[momslilassassin]

"Make me," Ben said, ever the bastion of maturity.

[glacial_queen]

"I'll make your face!" Who needed maturity when they could have rhetoric like that?

[momslilassassin]

"You kiss your boyfriend with that mouth?" Ben replied.

[glacial_queen]

Dammit! Now she couldn't retaliate with 'You kiss your girlfriend with that FACE' without sounding uninspired at best! Curse you, Ben Skywalker.

So she went a different tack. "Huh. That barely counts as getting started. And yes, yes I do. He seems to enjoy it."

Bets Ben would blush in three...two...one...?

[momslilassassin]

It was like clockwork. He blushed to the roots of his hair. "Well, it'd be a shame if you were bad at it," he mumbled.

[glacial_queen]

"True," Karla said, nodding solemnly. "For one thing, I'd probably have to ask for lessons from a male I trusted. You know, not to take advantage or something."

[momslilassassin]

"You are a terrible person," Ben declared.

[glacial_queen]

"Part of my natural charm," Karla assured him cheerfully.

[momslilassassin]

"You keep telling yourself that," Ben replied.

[glacial_queen]

"Says one of my best friends in three worlds," Karla grinned.

[momslilassassin]

"That's how I know these things," Ben said, nodding.

[glacial_queen]

"And yet, here you still are."