JGOB- Tuesday evening

[solo_sword]

After three weeks on the island, Jaina had booked her portal back (and it better kriffing work), checked out of her hotel, and now was just biding her time until she had to go. With the same one bag that she arrived with, she headed to JGOB, figuring coffee and a pastry counted as dinner, and decided to wait there.

She had not counted on the fuzzy adorable polar bear outside, holding out a Coke for her. At first she'd tried to turn it down, but even badasses weren't immune to the look it gave her. How do you say no to those eyes? How? She took the Coke, relieved that it looked so happy that she took it and then wandered off, probably to foist soda on someone else as she went inside and got a table by the window.

Fine, Coke and a pastry for dinner. Still worked.

[Some people may be moseying on in here, but totally open!]

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[dollpocalypse]

"There's a polar bear outside," announced a mildly-confused Topher as he stepped into JGOB.

He didn't know Jaina, no. But he thought this information was worth sharing. It was the genius mind at work, see.

[solo_sword]

Jaina held up her Coke. "It's the friendly kind."

[dollpocalypse]

"I didn't get one," Topher said, mildly put out. "Should I go ask?"

MAYBE POLAR BEARS HATED HIM.

[solo_sword]

"If you want a Coke, that might not be a bad idea." Jaina had never thought she'd be treating polar bears like adorable, sentient vending machines, but.

[dollpocalypse]

So he did.

And came back, dejected, about three minutes later. Without a Coke.

"Huh."

[solo_sword]

"What happened?" she asked. Maybe the polar bear was out?

[dollpocalypse]

"It didn't like me."

Sad.

[solo_sword]

...That was sad. "Want mine?" she asked. "I haven't opened it."

[dollpocalypse]

"I don't even like Coke," Topher sulked. "Do you think there's, like, grizzlies running around with Mountain Dew somewhere?"

[momslilassassin]

"I didn't miss you," Ben said, beaming at her as he walked in.

[solo_sword]

"Good." And she was on her feet immediately, going to hug him. Because that's what you did when your cousins got Nothinged. You squeezed the life out of them.

[momslilassassin]

"Still need to breathe--" he gasped, but he was hugging her back almost just as hard.

[solo_sword]

"There's time for breathing later," she said, but released him after a moment. "Do I have to tell you to never get blinked out of existence again?"

[momslilassassin]

"I've already heard it from Ender, Tahiri, and Dad," he said, "but I can certainly put it on the list of people who will be unhappy."

[solo_sword]

"You do that," Jaina said. "How are you doing?"

[momslilassassin]

"All right," Ben said, "all things considered. You?"

[solo_sword]

"Pretty good, all things considered," she admitted. "It got rough there, but it got resolved. Can't ask for much else."

[momslilassassin]

"Everyone at home's okay?" he checked.

[dollpocalypse]

"You exist!"

Hello, Topher. How are you?

[momslilassassin]

"I exist!" he confirmed with a grin. "And I'm under orders to not do that again."

[dollpocalypse]

"Good advice," Topher agreed. "People don't so much like it when you do that whole... disappearing thing."

[momslilassassin]

"Not so much," Ben agreed. "How did Ender take it?"

He'd kind of been dying to know.

[dollpocalypse]

"I never talked to him," Topher admitted. "But Kenzi brought him cookies and I guess he ate, like, one of them during the whole day, or something."

So... badly.

[momslilassassin]

Ben winced slightly. "That's kind of what I'd been guessing," he said. "He needs a break badly."

[dollpocalypse]

"Or less poisonous cookies."

He wasn't sure if Kenzi could bake, but he was guessing no.