Stark Industries, Monday

[endsthegame]

Back at work for the first time in months... was proving to take some getting used to. Ender was almost surprised to find the raspberries rolling out the door the moment he opened it, and the hour or so he spent sweeping them up off the floor meant he didn't really have time to set anything else up.

He finally sat down and began conversing with Jane about a few theories they'd been poking at about Ben's universe. He still felt a little jittery, and while he didn't miss Naboo per se, he did keep getting strikingly reminded of it.

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[momslilassassin]

"Ho, kreetle," Ben said with a smile, wandering in with a bag of sandwiches.

[endsthegame]

"Ho, Ben," Ender said, his head popping up from behind his laptop as per usual. He smiled back.

[momslilassassin]

"Catching up on the world?" he asked. "Anything fascinating?"

[endsthegame]

Well. Not unless you counted the intel coming in from Ben's world via Dink. "Not really," Ender said. "Not unless you think refitting a large colony ship is interesting... which you actually might."

[momslilassassin]

"I do," Ben admitted with a grin, handing over a coffee. "How long do they think it's going to take?"

[endsthegame]

"Could be any time," Ender admitted. "But considering some of the last-minute changes to the passenger manifest, they're saying it could take until well into the summer before they're finally through with it."

[momslilassassin]

"Did you mention you were antsy to get started?" Ben asked.

[endsthegame]

"Alas," Ender said, "Famous I might be, but I've yet to reach a level of such renown that even inanimate colony ships rearrange themselves to suit my needs."

[momslilassassin]

"Where do we write angry letters to change that?" Ben asked.

[endsthegame]

"Try Graff," Ender suggested. "He's in the business of playing God."

[momslilassassin]

"Yes, but I don't like him," Ben replied.

[endsthegame]

"Who ever said we had to like our overlords?" Ender asked him wryly.

[momslilassassin]

"Good point, but it makes it much more difficult to write a polite letter of request when you don't," Ben replied.

[endsthegame]

Ender snorted. "They're just words on a paper," he said. "They don't need to correspond to your exact feelings on the matter, as long as they accomplish what you need to get."

Beat.

"Though for me, right now, that's more 'sandwiches', and less 'Graff's favor'."

[momslilassassin]

"The sandwiches I can help you with," Ben replied, "even if they are sadly lacking in Coruscanti deli meat."

[endsthegame]

"And if I could taste the difference, I'd be terribly saddened by it," Ender said. "A sandwich, please?"

[momslilassassin]

"Because you've asked so nicely," Ben said, sliding the bag closer and finding himself a seat. "It feels weird to be back."

[endsthegame]

"It felt weird to be back after the summer as well," Ender said, and reached out to get his sandwich. "I'm starting to get the feeling we should've been seniors earlier."

[momslilassassin]

"Graduated with Aunt Leia?" he replied with a little smile. "Interesting thought."

[endsthegame]

"And Tahiri," Ender said, and took a bite of his sandwich. "It would've been different."

In more ways than one.

[momslilassassin]

Ben looked thoughtful. "Really different. Wonder if we'd still be in the Maw."

[endsthegame]

"Hopefully not," Ender replied. "It seems like the sort of place you'd get bored of after a while."

[momslilassassin]

Ben suppressed most of his shudder. "Yeah," he agreed. "Plus it's not exactly scenic."

[endsthegame]

"Is Luke still stuck there?"

[momslilassassin]

"For the moment," Ben said. "He was teaming up with the leader of the Sith expedition--" and yes, Ben still sounded more than a little weirded out by that, "Vestara and her father to see if they could learn a little more about what Abeloth was."