The Perk- Thursday afternoon

[thatwaslucky]

Maybe it was because she'd been alone today before now, but Rey had made it to the Peek without incident. She'd ordered her drink without a problem.

But she'd just sat down at her table when the mistletoe started its thing, and she was glad she had a to go cup or the coffee would have gone everywhere.

The barista who'd made her drink kind of shrugged like she'd been dealing with this all day but hey, she was open. Rey was ignoring them both.


[Bored! Open!]

Comments

[stykera]

"Maybe I ought not to stay," Stark said, looking around the space nervously after walking in.

Look, being forced into kissing a random employee who you always tipped well was one thing. Rey was something else entirely.

"Hello, Rey."

[thatwaslucky]

"Hi," she said, and pointed up. "I'm about one more comment from that thing and I'm leaving."

Did that help?

"And maybe throwing it across the room."

[stykera]

"Throwing it would probably be more satisfying," Stark pointed out. "Or you could...slice it up?"

Complete with lightsaber noise effect.

[thatwaslucky]

"It seems sentient, I'd feel bad about that," she admitted. "I'd throw a person harassing me, too."

And she had!

[stykera]

"As you should," Stark said.

He'd never thrown anyone but he liked the idea of it, okay?

"How are youaside from being bothered by greenery?"

[thatwaslucky]

"Beyond currently annoyed, I've been really good," Rey said with a smile. "How are you? It's been a while."

[stykera]

"I hadn't noticed any before I came in here," Stark said. "But there weren't any people, either."

He shrugged, then looked up at the plant warily.

"I've been all right. I still don't like the cold but it's fine. And things are quiet. Which sometimes makes me worry."

[thatwaslucky]

"I'm not jinxing it-" SHE WASN'T, ISLAND, "but the big things seem to have slowed down. I won't say we're okay, but I'm less concerned."

Island.

[stykera]

Stark fought back a smile at that.

"Hopefully you aren't," he said. "Jinxing it. You can be less concerned. That's fine."

He looked up at the mistletoe again.

"It's odd though, how quiet it gets sometimes."

[thatwaslucky]

"Me too. And it's going to get quieter right up until New Year's."

It always did. There was a reason she typically made trips home around this time of year.

[stykera]

"Maybe I should go away. From the quiet."

That never worked out though. Ever.

Stark looked up again. "Although sometimes odd things follow us home."

Imagine the madness of mistletoe on Moya.

[thatwaslucky]

"I know it's followed us off island. I didn't realize it followed you home," Rey said, frowning.

[stykera]

"Sometimes things have appeared at home," Stark said.

"Do not get any closer!" That was aimed at the plant.

"Not everything but some things. Before."

[thatwaslucky]

"Like what?" Rey asked, giving the mistletoe a wary look.

[stykera]

"Hats," Stark said. "There have been hats that appeared. And I was a girl when I wasn't here and hadn't been here. I didn't like that. At all. I like being me-shaped."

[thatwaslucky]

"No," Rey said, shaking her head. "I wouldn't want to have to explain that one to anyone back home."

[stykera]

"It would have been worse if I'd been on Moya."

So much worse. So, so much.
Also Chiana would have dressed him like a doll.

"At least I wasn't with anyone?"

Now he was thinking of what could have happened and was not paying attention to slithering greenery above.

[thatwaslucky]

"At least there's that," she agreed. "And considering we had some of the Fandom weirdness on the trip, you can probably feel safe traveling for now."

[stykera]

"I'm not sure home is ever really safe..."

Where was, really?

"But you may be right. It might be fine. Although I was thinking of going somewhere warmer. I don't know. I haven't decided. On anything."

[thatwaslucky]

"You still have time," she told him.