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.

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[the_merriest]

"Don't be silly," Rikku said, squeezing one last time before letting go. "We totally met ... I don't remember when? But I'm sure we did. You're Ben, right? Ben Skywalker, Luke's Ben?"

Clearly, Ben should remember every strange blonde girl that had ever hugged him. Whether or not said girl was an ice cream sundae.

(She wasn't. Honest.)

[momslilassassin]

"Yes," Ben replied warily. "Hi?"

[the_merriest]

"Hi," she grinned. "I'm Rikku. I'm a friend of your dad's. Probably not your dad. I mean, there are like twenty-five Skywalkers running around here and most of them aren't from the same universe, right? But the one that went here, we were friends. We had a club. You know what? I should call him. We haven't talked in forever. Maybe not since Dawn and I were arrested and got those tattoos."

This was all really seriously helpful information that Ben would want to hear. Lucky, lucky Ben.

[momslilassassin]

Ben was doing a pretty decent impression of someone who'd just been hit by a landspeeder. "Uh...huh," he said finally. "Can I help you with something?"

[the_merriest]

"Oh!" Rikku said, clapping a hand over her mouth. "Oh, wow, I got so distracted by you being Ben that I totally forgot. Hi! Anyway! I have important news about the store, which is: I bought it! Yesterday."

She beamed at Ben before realizing it was probably important to tack on a hurried, "You're not fired or anything!!"

[momslilassassin]

"I'm really glad not to be fired," he said with a more genuine smile. "Today was my first day and that would have been pretty embarrassing."

[the_merriest]

"Don't worry," she laughed, unable to resist reaching for a (quick! and duckable, at that!) hug. "No firings. I just decided to buy the place, but everything's staying the same. I mean, employees are. I'm changing the name, I just haven't ... done all that fancy stuff yet."

Yes. Be afraid, Ben.

"Isn't this place amazing?" she added.

... she kind of had the kid-in-a-candy-store vibe, too. Which might explain why she bought the place.

[momslilassassin]

...their new boss was a hugger. Vaguely he wondered if he should warn Ender about that. "What are you changing the name to?" he asked. "And yeah, it's totally one of my favorite places on the island."

The ice cream shop was still his absolute favorite.

[the_merriest]

"I don't know yet," Rikku said, bouncing on her toes. "Something peppy, and fun. I was gonna make it something in Al Bhed, but then everybody would pronounce it wrong, and nobody would know it's a repair shop. And then we wouldn't get to fix stuff."

The new boss was also a bouncer. And not in the 'mean guy that kicks you out of the bar' way. That should probably go on the list.

[momslilassassin]

"It should be easy for a squirrel to write down, too," Ben offered.

[the_merriest]

"Oh, good point," Rikku nodded. "Reno always said Al Bhed was hard to spell, too."

Which was silly. Al Bhed had consistent pronunciation rules. Unlike some other languages she could mention, thanks.

"... Man, I didn't miss the squirrels," she added, frowning at the thought.

[momslilassassin]

He wrinkled his nose up. "Yeah, but at least they're small? At home, the holoreporters are really obtrusive."

[the_merriest]

Rikku frowned. "Do they follow you around and ask stupid questions?" she asked. "People started doing that with Yunie lately, for the Sphere station in Luca. Mostly about her outfit and whether or not Tidus is her boyfriend."

Save the world, become a celebrity. It was weird.

[momslilassassin]

"Mostly my cousin Jaina," Ben said. "She has the more interesting love life, apparently. I don't get it, but then, I'm not watching their shows either."

[the_merriest]

"See, that's the bit I don't get," Rikku said, leaning against the counter with a sigh. "You get to ask High Summoner Yuna a question, why not have it be about her pilgrimage, or the fate of the world, and not if she's getting married? Why does anyone care about your cousin's love life?"

[momslilassassin]

"I have absolutely no idea," Ben replied. "Because her boyfriend runs a rival government, maybe?"

Yes, Ben. That would probably be it.

[the_merriest]

"Oooooooooh." Rikku's jaw dropped appropriately. "Oh, wow, they're all lovers who fight and separated by their empires and families? It's just like that play with the Italian kids!"

[momslilassassin]

"Only boring," Ben declared uncharitably. "Jag is so dull."

[the_merriest]

"Is she the exciting one?" Rikku asked. "They say opposites attract."

High Summoner Yuna was madly in love with a sports star. So.

[momslilassassin]

"She's my cousin," Ben replied. "I don't really think of her like that. There's a Jaina here--you could maybe meet her and find out?"

[the_merriest]

Rikku stuck her tongue out. "I didn't mean like that," she giggled. "Just, you know. Do they go well together, or are they a mismatch? I'm curious."

Did she know Jaina? She had to have met her, right? She was pretty sure she had.

[momslilassassin]

Ben, with all of the thought a sixteen year old boy puts into such things, shrugged. "She's been with him, or not, or with Zekk, or not, for all of my life. I've kind of stopped paying attention?"