Aboard the Jade Shadow [Tuesday, Fandom time]

[momslilassassin]

Ben was grabbing a quick snack as he waited in the galley for his father to finish docking the ship on the first human-majority planet they'd seen in months and taking the chance to catch up on more reading about the Aing-Tii Monks. As soon as they restocked their supplies and checked for physical mail (Ben hoped that Tony's package would catch up with them here), they'd be heading into Aing-Tii space, which was a challenging enough flight that Luke Kriffing Skywalker looked slightly apprehensive about it.

Ben stopped being nervous by remembering that if Jacen had been able to do it, Luke would be able to do it better.

...it had never been said that Ben could not be very petty if the occasion called for it.

[OOC: Open for calls, texts, visits from the boy who's in space with him, care packages from home full of YA gay literature...]

Comments

[momslilassassin]

"It's mostly an Outer Rim thing," Ben explained. "They add additional nutrients to the milk to make up for the lack of them anywhere else, and it turns the drink blue. Dad drank a lot of blue milk on Tatooine."

[endsthegame]

"Are you sure that's not an old wives' tale, meant to obscure the presence of hard liquor in your milk?" Ender joked, lightly. "Ingenious, though. The ways we find to survive."

[momslilassassin]

"Well, it was Tatooine, so I wouldn't be surprised," Ben admitted. "I bet if you look it up, you can find which vitamins were included. Feel free to steal the idea if you need them on Shakespeare."

[endsthegame]

"I'm sure the chief xenobiologist would be happy to have that kind of information," Ender said, "Seeing how different the flora and fauna on Shakespeare is."

He pulled some clothes out of the box, including the infamous blue sweater.

[momslilassassin]

Ben didn't perk right up seeing that sweater. Really.

...shut up.

"Have you come up with anything out here that might help you there when you go?" Ben asked.

[endsthegame]

"I have a few ideas, but it's the experts who can determine if they're workable, and how," Ender said, neatly folding one of the sweaters. "Not me."

Tony was not much of a folder.

[momslilassassin]

Ben climbed up onto his bed and rested his head on his elbow to watch. "Is 'living in a hole' one of the options?"

[endsthegame]

Ender tossed the first sweater into his wardrobe. "It's not really at the top of the list," he said. "Being that I'm neither dumb nor paranoid."

[momslilassassin]

"Two traits I've started to appreciate more and more as we travel together," Ben replied, smiling.

[endsthegame]

"I'll try not to lose any braincells, then," Ender said, grabbing the second sweater on the pile. "I know you barely tolerate my presence usually."

[momslilassassin]

"It's true," Ben agreed, smiling. "You can tell by how I don't spend time with you."

[endsthegame]

Putting the sweater aside, Ender took the opening and threw a rare black t-shirt in Ben's face's general direction. "I think the laws of adolescent ribbing say that I should point out it's mutual."

[momslilassassin]

Ben sputtered as it landed over his face (though, yes, he could have easily avoided that).

"Is this where I reply with a joke about your mother?"

[endsthegame]

"My mother is a saint, and you'll say no more," Ender said, putting this sweater down on the next one.

[momslilassassin]

"Have you told her you're in another galaxy for a year?" Ben asked, staring at the ceiling.

[endsthegame]

"Oh." Ender snagged a button-up out of the box. "I guess that must've slipped my mind."

[momslilassassin]

Ben sighed a little to himself. "Did you tell Val, at least?"

[endsthegame]

"She knows enough," Ender said, folding the shirt neatly in two.

[momslilassassin]

Ender had Ben's full attention now. "And what did you consider 'enough?'"

[endsthegame]

"I mean she knows what she needs to know about me right now, and nothing more than that," Ender said, vaguely, and put the shirt aside. "I never realised just how many black shirts you own."

[momslilassassin]

"They're easy to clean," Ben said, "and you're getting deliberately vague on me. Does she know you're not on the same planet you used to be?"

[endsthegame]

"No," Ender said, fishing around the box for a pair of pants, "And it really doesn't matter. Are you done interrogating me?"

[momslilassassin]

Ben looked frustrated. "Interrogating is much less pleasant," he grumbled, "but yes, since getting you to talk about your family when you don't want to is as productive as trying to walk through a closed blast door."

[endsthegame]

Ah, pants. There we go. "I'm glad we agree about that," Ender replied.

[momslilassassin]

This time Ben deliberately sighed loud enough to be heard. "Doesn't mean I get it."