Aboard the Falcon [Wednesday afternoon, Fandom time]

[momslilassassin]

The quarters were a little more cramped on the Falcon than they were on the Shadow, and the addition of two more people and a nexu cub was helping Ben feel a little caged in.

It wasn't helping that Luke hadn't called yet to let him know where to rendezvous to continue on with their mission. His father wasn't dead--Ben would have felt that--so Ben was trying to wait patiently for his comlink to go off, rather than calling and demanding to know what was going on.

After a few hours of staring at the comm and mentally demanding it to ring, Luke finally called in. The Sith had left the planet having captured most of the Nightsisters of Dathomir, but Luke had Vestara as his prisoner aboard the Shadow and was using her as collateral in his new pact with the Sith.

Ben's yelped "WHAT?!" at that news had echoed through the ship.

Luke's second bit of news--that the Sith claimed their young people were going through the same Force psychosis that had plagued the Jedi--was harder for Ben to believe, and the final piece--that Luke would prefer Ben head to Coruscant to warn the Council personally about the Sith rather than meet up with his father to head back into the Maw--was greeted with absolute silence, then a nod of acquiescence.

Ben was being left behind again. He was fine with that. Really. He curled up on his bunk after he wished Luke luck on his mission and stared at the wall.

See? Totally fine.

[OOC: For the guy with him, phone calls or emails!]

Comments

[glacial_queen]

Karla sighed. Heavily.

"I completely believe you," she deadpanned. "And didn't call this back my freshman year."

It was a way to say, 'I called it!' without him getting to question her. Because if he questioned her painfully obvious lie, she got to question his. It was a rule dammit.

[momslilassassin]

"Well, I didn't know then," Ben said a little sharply.

"Sorry," he said. "Long couple of days."

[glacial_queen]

Which was why Karla hadn't said anything!

"S'okay, I understand how that goes," she said, though she was raising an eyebrow at him anyway. Yes, over the phone. "You okay?"

And just because it bore mentioning... "Your porn collection isn't a usual topic of conversation. Odds are, Tony won't even remember what he said to me tonight."

[momslilassassin]

"I'll remember," Ben said grumpily. "And...sort of. We're coming back to Fandom for our senior year."

[glacial_queen]

"Yay!" Karla said before she thought. "Wait--not yay?"

Ben didn't sound like this was very 'yay.'

"Did we somehow all catch cooties while you were gone?" she asked. "Don't you want to come back?"

[momslilassassin]

"No, it's not you at all," Ben said hastily. "It's just that we're not really done here, and that bugs me."

Let Ender tell her that Luke had sort of re-exiled them.

[glacial_queen]

Karla wanted to press, but she recognized that tone of voice. "What's still left to do?" she asked, figuring that was a nice, safer question.

Maybe there was just the cleaning up, but because of the timing of the start of the school year...?

[momslilassassin]

"A couple of big parts--figuring out if the mysterious figure we saw in the lake is linked to the creepy tentacle creature I remember from my time in the Maw when I was a kid and if she's making the Jedi go crazy and a little thing about the Sith coming back."

Inside voice, Ben.

[glacial_queen]

Karla winced and pulled her ear away from the phone. Okay, that had probably not been the best question she could have asked. And, yes, it's obvious that Ben was very not-yay about this development.

"When are you coming back?" she asked. "It's not quite the end of August yet."

[momslilassassin]

"Probably in time for the next semester," Ben said. "Ender's insisting we take a break first. Would you like to come too?"

[glacial_queen]

Karla was on the verge of saying no; she'd been gone from Kaeleer for too long and they'd be coming home in a few weeks anyway. She could see them, then.

"I would," she said. "If you don't mind having a brat running around for part of your break."

Screw that noise. She missed them. A lot.

[momslilassassin]

"Oh, Ender's already here," Ben said with a genuine smile, "so don't worry about that. It'll be astral to see you."

[glacial_queen]

She just had to laugh at that. "Call him brat where he can hear you and he might try to shove your head into the toilet," she warned.

"I can't wait to see you. It's been a very long summer without you here."

Whatever the reason, Karla was selfishly glad they were coming home.

[momslilassassin]

"He keeps threatening but never follows through," Ben said. "I think it's because he likes me."

Oh, Ben.

[glacial_queen]

"I hear that it's only because he can't find a toilet big enough," Karla retorted. Mostly because she needed some reason to be snerking at that comment.

[momslilassassin]

"My head is not that big!" Ben protested.

[glacial_queen]

"Rumor says otherwise," Karla declared. "In fact, the main reason I'm visiting is to make sure we can get it through the halls of the dorms before you come ho--back."

[momslilassassin]

"Sure it is," Ben said with a tiny chuckle. He was trying very hard to pretend like he was okay.

[glacial_queen]

And Karla was okay with letting him pretend. Until she got there.

Enjoy you last few days of repression, Ben.

"So, where will I be visiting?" she asked. Probably not Coruscant, not with the political turmoil there. "Am I going to have to live on a ship?"

[momslilassassin]

"Ender's bought a vacation home," Ben said, sounding amused. "It's on a planet called Naboo that's supposed to be beautiful."

It was very popular for honeymoons, at least.

[glacial_queen]

"Wait--Did you say Ender bought a vacation home?"

[momslilassassin]

"He's...what's it called? Diversifying his portfolio?" Ben replied. "He wanted to make sure we had funds that weren't dependent on the Jedi."

[glacial_queen]

"I guess he needed some way to keep busy while waiting for my next shipment of books," Karla said with a low whistle. "Is he richer than you now?"

Someone was going to get a speedo from Dite's with the words 'Pool Boy' stamped on the ass.

In very tiny letters.

[momslilassassin]

"Oh, completely," Ben said. "The Jedi don't get paid a salary at all."

[glacial_queen]

"More of that 'unburdened by material possessions' thing?" Karla asked. She was pretty sure a few material possessions wouldn't hurt "Does that mean you won't be taking me out for alien ice cream when I show up?"