Stark Industries [most of the day]

[momslilassassin]

Another Friday, another shift at Stark Industries.

Ben was tweaking some of the coding for his atromech's internal systems between checking for updates from home about Daala's reaction to the explosion of the frigate.

His emails to contacts inside the Jedi Temple had gone unanswered for the last few days, and that worried him.

The shop was open and he was eager for a distraction.

[OOC: Sigh, LJ. Jaina's conversation is here.]

Comments

[endsthegame]

"Ho, Ben," Ender greeted. He had a bag with some boxes of pasta with him. The first thing he did was glance at Ben's expression, just to ensure nothing else had gone belly-up in the past few hours.

[momslilassassin]

Ben gave him a quick smile. "No emergencies," he assured him.

[endsthegame]

"Good to know," Ender said, leaning in to peck him on the lips before dropping a box of spaghetti bolognese in front of him.

[momslilassassin]

Ben nudged his nose into Ender's before pulling back. "Not going to fall apart today, kreetle," he murmured. "Promise."

[endsthegame]

"I'll hold you to that."

Ender smoothed a little bit of Ben's hair back behind his ear. He sat down, sinking into the chair. "I also found my laptop again," he reported. "All is well."

[momslilassassin]

"Good," Ben said with a little smile. "You were worried. Where did it turn up?"

[endsthegame]

Ender frowned. "Right where I left it," he said. "I didn't realize I was getting that old."

[momslilassassin]

"Huh," Ben replied. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, the radio made it sound like it wasn't just you."

[endsthegame]

"You think the island misplaced some items?" Ender asked, opening up his own container of pasta. "It's a little low-key for its usual standards."

[momslilassassin]

"I prefer that to you having forgotten where you put something," Ben said, taking a bite of his noodles. "Maybe the gremlins got bored."

[endsthegame]

"If the gremlins got bored, you would've known about it," Ender said wryly.

[momslilassassin]

"Maybe they've stopped wanting to bite me!"

That was a little hopelessly optimistic of you, Ben.

[endsthegame]

"I think that's called 'tempting fate'."

[solo_sword]

Somehow, even after talking to just about everyone in existence to overexaggerate a bit, there were people Jaina had missed. And some of them, namely a certain teenage cousin, was definitely one she wanted to make sure she was in touch with these days.

Which would be why he was getting a call.

[momslilassassin]

With a quick prayer to whoever might be watching that it wasn't bad news, Ben picked up his comlink. "Skywalker."

[solo_sword]

"I have got to stop missing you when I'm actually in town," Jaina greeted him.

[momslilassassin]

"You do," Ben agreed, laughing. "I saw you at the mixer, but I was busy checking up on Tahiri."

[solo_sword]

"It's been a while since she's been around," she nodded. "She seemed to be doing okay." Well, as okay as could be expected when a version of your dead boyfriend was in town.

[momslilassassin]

"She did," Ben said, sounding relieved. "When I felt the three of you in the same place, I...wanted to be there."

[solo_sword]

"It had the potential to get very weird, yeah. Though I don't know how I would have been involved," she admitted.

[momslilassassin]

"And with the four of us, it could have gotten even stranger," Ben admitted.

[solo_sword]

"Meaning I could have gotten popcorn and sat back to watch you three be awkward?" Just checking.

[momslilassassin]

Ben blushed. "I don't think he knows that Tahiri and I were involoved."

[solo_sword]

"Which may not actually help with the hypothetical awkwardness," she mused. And because she was curious, she asked, "Are you guys not telling him on purpose, or has it just not come up?"

She figured she should probably find that out before she said something.

[momslilassassin]

"It just hasn't come up," Ben said. "He had enough to process without me adding in the 'oh, and I dated your best friend for a few years' thing."