MCA #6- Thursday all day

[solo_sword]

When Jaina first arrived four/eleven years ago, she hadn't thought she'd be here this long. At times she'd practically been running for the nearest portal that would take her anywhere but here. So the fact that she was even a little bit upset about leaving Fandom now was kind of a shock to her. She never once thought she'd be leaving here feeling even the slightest bit centered, or thinking that maybe dating shouldn't be off-limits forever (she knew she still wouldn't have time for it but that was not the point), or feeling like she could handle the next few years even knowing what might happen.

She wasn't actually leaving until first thing Friday morning, but she didn't want to be upset when she left. She just wanted to get up and go before she had a chance to think about it. So she sent out an email to let people know today was the last day she'd be around and give them her contact info in case she didn't get to see them, and set about to doing all the last-minute tasks she had to get out of the way. Things like making sure her X-wing and Sneaker were both in working order, cleaning, packing up another box to send off for home because she had too much stuff to take along to fit in said X-wing, wondering how the kriff that had even happened, things like that. In related news, moving was annoying.

A lot of things had changed during Jaina's collective time in Fandom, but one thing definitely didn't: keeping distracted so she didn't have to think was always going to be her default coping mechanism.


[Jaina's last post in Fandom. If you think you got/want to have gotten an email, you did. Totally open with SP during work. *CLINGS*]

Comments

[solo_sword]

"I knew I liked you," Jaina smiled, going in the kitchen drawer and holding up two packages of utensils. Someone pretty much lived on takeout. "We're in luck, I still have spoons."

[momslilassassin]

Ben laughed. "Oh good," he said. "I forgot to get some and ice cream is messy by the handful."

[solo_sword]

"And I just cleaned, so there will be nothing messy as I am not doing that again," she joked. "Of course the bowls are gone so we're eating out of the carton. The kitchen stuff was the first thing I got rid of."

Be shocked.

[momslilassassin]

"I'm surprised you had kitchen stuff," Ben admitted. "We're not really a family of gourmet chefs, no matter how hard your mom tries with spiceloaf."

[solo_sword]

"My kitchen stuff was mostly bowls and plates and silverware," she admitted. "I can throw things in boiling water and it turns out okay, otherwise I don't try. Except that time John dared me to cook and I didn't give anyone food poisoning."

[momslilassassin]

"I'm not bad with a microwave," Ben admitted, "but anything past reheating and salad is a little beyond me."

But building a droid from scratch? Sure!

[solo_sword]

"You don't really need more than that," she assured him. "So how are you doing?" She didn't get the chance to ask much, and with graduation and people leaving...

[momslilassassin]

"Pretty good," Ben said. "Tahiri's here for the summer, so I'm not losing everyone all at once. Ender and I are heading home for the weekend to watch some negotiations--he's going to be a planetary governor after graduation and wants to see how we do stuff so he can do it better."

[solo_sword]

"I probably shouldn't ask who's negotiating with who about what, should I?" she realized. She was curious, though, thanks to a couple events this semester. "Not big on checking out the picnic?"

It was going to be the first one in four years that she missed. Wow.

[momslilassassin]

"I think if I miss out on seeing my great grandson or something for a few days, he'll understand," Ben said. "These are kind of big negotiations."

[solo_sword]

Jaina pursed her lips. "I want to ask."

[momslilassassin]

Ben smiled. "Imperial Remnant stuff," he said, "and other than that, even I haven't been fully briefed on the terms yet."

[solo_sword]

She did some quick math in her head, trying to see how far away he was from that possible future Fandom kept hinting at for her. "That doesn't help me at all," she mock-complained.

[momslilassassin]

He smirked at her. "Then I'm doing this right."

[solo_sword]

Jaina shook her head, but she was smiling. "I kind of figured out a while ago I wouldn't be getting any real answers from you. So yes, you are doing this right."

[momslilassassin]

Ben leaned in to give her an impulsive hug.

[solo_sword]

Jaina hugged him back, noting, "Maybe I needed that today."

[momslilassassin]

"Happy to help," Ben said in a slightly muffled voice. He wasn't going to let go any time soon.

[solo_sword]

"I'll be in touch," she told him, not bothering to ask how he was doing with all this. "It'll be okay."

That part didn't have much at all to do with just her leaving, no.

[momslilassassin]

For that, he clung harder, not trusting himself to speak.

[solo_sword]

Jaina let him cling for a while, finally pulling away a bit. "You're my favorite cousin, you know," she said, trying for a little levity.

[momslilassassin]

He smiled. "I have a lot of competition?"

[solo_sword]

"Yes. I'm sure there's a reality out there somewhere where Mom and Uncle Luke have six siblings and we have twenty cousins now. It counts," she joked.

[momslilassassin]

He laughed, then gave her another another hug. "I don't want to think about Granddad like that. One more kid is enough to gross me out."

[solo_sword]

She hugged him back and noted, "Rory is really young. There's still plenty of time for them to gross you out more."