Jaina Solo Fel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
solo_sword) wrote2010-07-28 06:57 pm
solo_sword) wrote2010-07-28 06:57 pm
Entry tags:
Coruscant, 8 months after Fandom
Jaina had been more than happy to get the call from Jag saying that he would be on Coruscant at the same time she was for once. Since they'd moved everything back to Coruscant from Denon months ago, she'd honestly thought she would be around more than she was. As it turned out, this was her second time back to her homeplanet since all the ceremonies proclaiming this planet the galactic capitol once again. So if she was going to be back, it was nice to be able to spend time with a friend.
She'd promptly dragged him to the seediest cantina she could find on short notice, just because she wanted to see if it would make him squirm. If he was squirming, though, he wasn't showing it, not even as he studied their surroundings when they arrived. "I like it," Jaina decided. "It's pretty much what I'd be doing on a Saturday night in Fandom anyway."
Jag raised an eyebrow as they found a table off to the side. "You spent your nights in cantinas? This is something I did not know about you."
"I worked in a bar." Said it just for the look it'd get- yes, that look right there that he was giving her. That's what she'd been going for.
"And how exactly did that happen?" he wondered.
Jaina shrugged, all too used to explaining, even if she hadn't had to do it for a while. She missed explaining it sometimes. "I got a job when I first got there for a couple months, and when the war ended and I went back, the opportunity was there to take a job. It was fun, most nights."
"I'd say I wouldn't have expected that from you, but it goes go along with your no-good scoundrel ways."
The way he said it, it could have come off like an insult, but Jaina knew him well enough to know teasing when she heard it. It didn't stop her from smiling and saying, "Got that right," before someone came to take their drink orders. When the waitress left, she spotted the table across the room, where several people were seated, solemnly looking over cards before suddenly erupting into laughs. "I wonder what's going on there."
Jag looked over his shoulder to follow her gaze, "Ah. I think they're playing a card game-"
"Can't imagine how you figured that out."
"-very popular in the Imperial sector," he finished, not even batting an eye at the interruption. "Be glad this isn't one of the nights costumes are involved."
"The way you say that makes me think you've played."
"Of course not. I just know of the game," he assured her. "Though I'm sure they'd let you jump in if you wanted to play... Then I'd be sorry there were no costumes involved."
Jaina frowned at him. "Someone told you you're funny once and it went straight to your head, huh?"
"Not at all," Jag replied, completely deadpan. "No one's ever told me I'm funny."
She couldn't help it. She had to laugh at that, and she liked that he cracked a smile when she did.
"Do you miss it?" he asked, and when she just looked confused, he continued, "Fandom. I haven't heard you mention it in a while."
Her smile faded as she tried to figure out how to answer that. It was complicated. She'd tried for six months to get back to Fandom. It was probably more than anyone expected, but it had turned out to be a very important thing to her. It wasn't so much that she wanted to get back, it was that there were people she wanted to see, or at least to say goodbye to. There'd been no luck in getting any calls or messages to go through, either. She'd thought it was something that would fix itself after so long, but it got harder to deal with every week that went by. It had only been recently that she'd had to accept that maybe she was wasting her time and getting her hopes up for something that didn't look like it was ever going to happen. It had been depressing, in fact, even if she'd just buried herself in more work to pretend she was fine. For someone who'd spent five years in a war terrified of losing everyone she cared about, this had been a huge blow for her.
"I miss the people," Jaina answered finally. "I would have liked to be able to get some more time with some of them. Know that I could go back to see a couple of them grow up." Yes, she meant Juliet. She had to be talking by now.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up a bad subject," Jag said.
"No, it's okay," she assured him, and she really was beginning to feel that way lately. It was a slow process, but it was happening. "My life's here, that's what it all boils down to."
"For what it's worth, I am glad to hear you say that."
Her smile almost returned at that, and moreso at seeing him match it. She really had missed him. They'd been talking more since she'd been back, and she'd surprised herself by starting to think that she'd really like to see more of him. It was still a little weird to think about, even if she'd been single for eight months now. She just hadn't thought she'd get to a place where she would care about things like dating again, and it was kind of nice to be at the point where she could. So things hadn't ended the way she would have wanted with John. Their last meeting had been a good one, and if she was going to be here permanently by surprise, then she could accept that as a good ending. Again, it'd been a slow process. Meanwhile, she could tell Jag still had feelings for her- that seemed fairly obvious even without any sense of empathy- but she knew he wouldn't act on them. She'd rejected him twice already during the war, and he wouldn't subject his ego to even more damage by trying again.
As the waitress brought over their drinks, Jaina was sure if Rose was here she'd be telling her to just to go for it. So she did. "So we have accomplished drinks, where do we end up taking this date next?"
The lack of squirming at the setting was completely worth the expression of surprise on his face. That was a very rare expression. "Is this a date?"
"That's what I was thinking," she decided. "Unless you'd rather it wasn't..."
"No," Jag told her, "I'd say its a date."
[NFB, NFI, OOC is just dandy. Bless you, Aaron Allston for that thing I borrowed.]
She'd promptly dragged him to the seediest cantina she could find on short notice, just because she wanted to see if it would make him squirm. If he was squirming, though, he wasn't showing it, not even as he studied their surroundings when they arrived. "I like it," Jaina decided. "It's pretty much what I'd be doing on a Saturday night in Fandom anyway."
Jag raised an eyebrow as they found a table off to the side. "You spent your nights in cantinas? This is something I did not know about you."
"I worked in a bar." Said it just for the look it'd get- yes, that look right there that he was giving her. That's what she'd been going for.
"And how exactly did that happen?" he wondered.
Jaina shrugged, all too used to explaining, even if she hadn't had to do it for a while. She missed explaining it sometimes. "I got a job when I first got there for a couple months, and when the war ended and I went back, the opportunity was there to take a job. It was fun, most nights."
"I'd say I wouldn't have expected that from you, but it goes go along with your no-good scoundrel ways."
The way he said it, it could have come off like an insult, but Jaina knew him well enough to know teasing when she heard it. It didn't stop her from smiling and saying, "Got that right," before someone came to take their drink orders. When the waitress left, she spotted the table across the room, where several people were seated, solemnly looking over cards before suddenly erupting into laughs. "I wonder what's going on there."
Jag looked over his shoulder to follow her gaze, "Ah. I think they're playing a card game-"
"Can't imagine how you figured that out."
"-very popular in the Imperial sector," he finished, not even batting an eye at the interruption. "Be glad this isn't one of the nights costumes are involved."
"The way you say that makes me think you've played."
"Of course not. I just know of the game," he assured her. "Though I'm sure they'd let you jump in if you wanted to play... Then I'd be sorry there were no costumes involved."
Jaina frowned at him. "Someone told you you're funny once and it went straight to your head, huh?"
"Not at all," Jag replied, completely deadpan. "No one's ever told me I'm funny."
She couldn't help it. She had to laugh at that, and she liked that he cracked a smile when she did.
"Do you miss it?" he asked, and when she just looked confused, he continued, "Fandom. I haven't heard you mention it in a while."
Her smile faded as she tried to figure out how to answer that. It was complicated. She'd tried for six months to get back to Fandom. It was probably more than anyone expected, but it had turned out to be a very important thing to her. It wasn't so much that she wanted to get back, it was that there were people she wanted to see, or at least to say goodbye to. There'd been no luck in getting any calls or messages to go through, either. She'd thought it was something that would fix itself after so long, but it got harder to deal with every week that went by. It had only been recently that she'd had to accept that maybe she was wasting her time and getting her hopes up for something that didn't look like it was ever going to happen. It had been depressing, in fact, even if she'd just buried herself in more work to pretend she was fine. For someone who'd spent five years in a war terrified of losing everyone she cared about, this had been a huge blow for her.
"I miss the people," Jaina answered finally. "I would have liked to be able to get some more time with some of them. Know that I could go back to see a couple of them grow up." Yes, she meant Juliet. She had to be talking by now.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up a bad subject," Jag said.
"No, it's okay," she assured him, and she really was beginning to feel that way lately. It was a slow process, but it was happening. "My life's here, that's what it all boils down to."
"For what it's worth, I am glad to hear you say that."
Her smile almost returned at that, and moreso at seeing him match it. She really had missed him. They'd been talking more since she'd been back, and she'd surprised herself by starting to think that she'd really like to see more of him. It was still a little weird to think about, even if she'd been single for eight months now. She just hadn't thought she'd get to a place where she would care about things like dating again, and it was kind of nice to be at the point where she could. So things hadn't ended the way she would have wanted with John. Their last meeting had been a good one, and if she was going to be here permanently by surprise, then she could accept that as a good ending. Again, it'd been a slow process. Meanwhile, she could tell Jag still had feelings for her- that seemed fairly obvious even without any sense of empathy- but she knew he wouldn't act on them. She'd rejected him twice already during the war, and he wouldn't subject his ego to even more damage by trying again.
As the waitress brought over their drinks, Jaina was sure if Rose was here she'd be telling her to just to go for it. So she did. "So we have accomplished drinks, where do we end up taking this date next?"
The lack of squirming at the setting was completely worth the expression of surprise on his face. That was a very rare expression. "Is this a date?"
"That's what I was thinking," she decided. "Unless you'd rather it wasn't..."
"No," Jag told her, "I'd say its a date."
[NFB, NFI, OOC is just dandy. Bless you, Aaron Allston for that thing I borrowed.]