Stark Industries, Monday

[endsthegame]

"But he's terribly noisy," Jane argued.

"Then turn off the big microphone," Ender said for the umpteenth time. "No one's said you have to listen in on all the background noise, too."

"Or he could be polite and be less noisy," Jane retorted.

Ender sighed, poking at his Bluetooth. "You try fixing a droid without making a sound when you don't even know there's a nosy AI listening in on you."

"That's not my fault."

"You're the one who doesn't want him knowing you exist," Ender pointed out. "...Come to think of it, Jane. You do switch off the general microphone at night, right?"

"I'm not answering that because you're being rude."

Ender sighed. He rubbed his brow, patted his Bluetooth again to make sure the squirrels would see nothing but him talking to someone on the phone, and said, "I'm not talking to you until you get out of this mood."

[[ open! ETA: details about amelia in the conversation with Ben are NFB ]]

Comments

[momslilassassin]

"Ho, kreetle," Ben said with a little smile, walking in at his usual time with coffee and sandwiches.

[endsthegame]

"Ho, Ben," Ender answered, flashing him a slightly wry smile back. "How's your day been?"

Probably not full of frustrating AIs.

[momslilassassin]

"Uneventful," Ben replied, kissing Ender on the cheek. "You?"

[endsthegame]

"Likewise," Ender said, offering him a wry look in return. "Life's just not as exciting now that our high school days are over."

[momslilassassin]

"Yes," Ben said, grinning. "All of the best, most interesting days are behind us now."

He didn't think that was remotely true.

[endsthegame]

"I can deal with that if you brought sandwiches," Ender decided. "I'm getting hungry in my old, dull age."

[momslilassassin]

"I made sure to get you something you can gum," Ben assured him.

[endsthegame]

"You're very kind," Ender said dryly, and reached for the bag. "No news from home, either?"

[momslilassassin]

"Stuff from Aunt Leia about Klatooine," Ben replied. "Tenel Ka is coming to help mediate too as a neutral third party."

[endsthegame]

"That's a good choice," Ender noted. "If a risky one. Is Klatooinian security up to the task?"

[momslilassassin]

"No," Ben said flatly, "but she'll bring her own. And she'll get to spend time with Amelia--" he eyes focused on Ender's. "You've figured out Amelia, right?"

[endsthegame]

Ender offered him a vague smile. "I had an inkling," he said. "Yours is the first straight-up confirmation I've gotten, though."

[momslilassassin]

"It's a family secret," Ben said, offering a vague shrug in return. "No one knows the specifics but the eight of us."

And other observant people...

[endsthegame]

"You're taking a risk keeping her so close to the Solos," Ender commented. "Not that I don't understand, but... that makes it easier to connect the dots."

[momslilassassin]

Ben nodded. "Yeah, but there's a lot of guilt...there's no point in trying to argue it out with Aunt Leia and Uncle Han. They just make sure she's as prepared as she can be for the inevitable kidnapping attempts, but those come with being a Solo anyway."

Most people weren't so matter-of-fact about being kidnapped, Ben.

[endsthegame]

"Then maybe she shouldn't have been a Solo," Ender said. "At least for a little while."

[momslilassassin]

"Being a Skywalker wouldn't have been any safer," Ben said, "and Amelia couldn't have been adopted by just anyone."

[endsthegame]

"No, but she wouldn't have had to be adopted by anyone in your family," Ender said with a sigh. "That girl has already seen more action than she should have."

[momslilassassin]

Ben looked regretful. "Yeah. Dathomir was unnecessary."

[endsthegame]

"It wouldn't surprise me if she sees worse than Dathomir before she's in her teens," Ender admitted.

[momslilassassin]

"There have already been two assassination attempts," Ben said. "Three, if you count how one of the Jedi went barvy and took down the containment fields in the 'they'll totally eat you' section of the animal fair..."

[endsthegame]

"And you're still trying to argue she's better off adopted by someone in your family?" Ender asked.

[momslilassassin]

"The first two were when she was with Tenel Ka," Ben said. "Being with Aunt Leia is safer than Hapes."

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

And there would be Valentine, who held a box of something under one arm, but that would not be the strangest thing about her appearance at the shop. Oh, no. The strange part probably came from the fact that she didn't enter the store through the front door, as you'd expect, but rather down the stairs and through the door in the back that lead to the apartment upstairs.

"'Morning, Ender."

[endsthegame]

Ender looked up, one eyebrow raised. "Morning, Val," he said.

He'd let his expression do the talking on this one.