Caritas- Tuesday

[throughaphase]

The day after the kids left was always a tough one, but this year was especially hard, for Reasons. Kitty was no stranger to alternate timelines and possible futures and for the most part she'd always handled that stuff just fine, but now she had too many big questions she couldn’t get the answers to yet, and maybe there were certain answers she was hoping for, and maybe she was worried about her reaction if she got different ones, and anyway there was a lot going on in her head right now.

FIRST ROUND FREE
EVERYTHING IS DEPRESSING

Other people probably were having a lot of thoughts too.

[Open, no OCD!]

Comments

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan stepped into the bar, not completely convinced that stepping into the bar was the best life choice he could be making today. But here he was. Doing that. And looking at the specials board. And sighing.

"To the point," he noted. "I appreciate that. Better charge me for everything I drink tonight anyway."

Hey, Kitty.

[throughaphase]

At least there was someone to talk to who knew to cut him off.

“One full price Hairy Kanan, coming up,” Kitty agreed, getting a glass. “Should I ask how you’re doing?”“

[uncertain_dume]

"Still undecided," Kanan replied, frowning as he slid onto one of the barstools. "The weekend was what it was, I think I just left a ship to a kid in my will, and I'm going home broke tonight."

He seemed mostly resigned to that last bit.

"How are you holding up?"

[what_the_shock]

Miguel was less depressed than mildly wistful, thankful, and above all confused. But the bar seemed like a good place to deal with that, too.

"Hey." He waved at Kitty. "Can the first round be something really strong?"

[throughaphase]

“It’s complicated,” Kitty said with a frown, putting extra hair on the drink. She was a good friend that way. “It’s always tough, really. Sometimes more than others.”

[throughaphase]

“You good with straight tequila or want me to make an actual drink?” she checked.

Because ‘make it strong’ meant tequila.

[what_the_shock]

"Tequila works," Miguel said. "I'm still trying to process this weekend."

[uncertain_dume]

And that's how you knew you had a good friend in your life; they were willing to make your drink chewy with coconut pieces. Kanan gave Kitty a forced grin.

"You know, last year, it was easy? Hera and I got this little girl, we took care of her for a few days, we sent her home to her parents, pretty sure that it was never going to happen to us anyway. Cute kid. Looked a lot like her mom. This year is different. I'm still working on figuring out exactly why."

[throughaphase]

And there was his Extra Hairy Kanan.

“This time sounded kind of heavy,” Kitty shrugged. “Even if your relationship with Hera’s changed since then, that could be a factor.”

[throughaphase]

“Who’d you get this weekend?” she asked, getting a glass and a bottle.

[what_the_shock]

"A little girl, Gabi," Miguel said. "Adorable, and right now totally impossible. Also a handful."

[uncertain_dume]

"I didn't think it had changed that much." Kanan frowned. "Maybe it has. I'm starting to believe in the things she believes in. I've taken up a cause."

That could definitely lead to a kid who had never known his dad, for sure.

"Gotta keep reminding myself," he added, reaching for that hairy, hairy drink, "this place is like... dreams." Visions. Force visions. "Maybe none of it means what it seems like it's supposed to mean anyway."

[throughaphase]

And there was the tequila.

“Good handful of bad handful?” Kitty asked, since there was tequila.

[throughaphase]

“Pretty much,” she confirmed, leaning against the bar. “I’ve had kids here with people I don’t talk to anymore, kids from actual dystopias, kids whose existence is physically impossible... It just means that somewhere in the multiverse it happened. Doesn’t necessarily mean anything for those of us in our respective universes.”

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan nodded, pausing to take a drink.

Okay. That did help.

"So I won't sweat it so long as it's just this one time," he decided. "There are a lot of Fandom sneak-peeks that seem to keep hitting some similar beats, though."

Those, he might take to heart. A little.

[throughaphase]

“I wouldn’t worry even if Jacen comes back next time. Lexi’s been here like six years in a row and there’s no guarantee that she’ll happen.”

Which was fine. It was all fine.

“What kind of similar beats?”

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan didn't need to be Force sensitive to pick up on how fine it was. He offered Kitty a sympathetic smile.

"Should I be crossing my fingers for you? She seemed like a great kid."

Even if she should never hang out with Jacen or else the world might end. Even then.

"And the beats are..." He reached up and scratched his chin as he mulled over how to put it. "Different circumstances, but backed up by three different... Fandom... things." He paused. "No, four. It started as just something weird that might happen, but now I'm starting to wonder."

[throughaphase]

“Thanks,” she said with a little smile back. “It wouldn’t hurt.”

She considered that, and said, “If there’s common themes it could be something. Or Fandom really likes screwing with you.”

[uncertain_dume]

"Fandom has a sick sense of humor if that's the case," Kanan muttered, taking another mouthful of his drink. "I guess it's something to keep an eye out for."

Kanan, that was terrible, even for you.

[throughaphase]

Be grateful Kitty didn’t know about that, or she might’ve made a worse pun.

“How’s Hera doing with this?”

[uncertain_dume]

"She's... processing," Kanan replied. "As much as I don't want to see that future happen, she's got plenty more reasons to worry about it. And she's newer to Fandom's sense of humor, too."

He sighed.

"I don't intend to let this stop me from doing what I'm doing going forward. If I changed the way I live my life based on this place, I'd just give up living."

... Give up living early.

"I don't know if she thinks the same. I still need to have that talk with her."

[what_the_shock]

"Kid handful," Miguel said, downing that tequila. "Kid with superpowers handful."

[throughaphase]

“Those are always fun,” Kitty said sympathetically. “But yeah, don’t change anything because of this. I mean, if it inspires a positive change that you actually want, sure. Otherwise, there’s no point in living for a maybe.”

[throughaphase]

“Oh, those are the best,” Kitty said, and meant it. Of course.

[what_the_shock]

Miguel gave her a side-eye. "Do yours climb the walls?"