solo_sword | The beach- Thursday evening

Current Mood: bored

Entry tags:

The beach- Thursday evening

Jaina's portal was delayed. She had no idea how a portal could be delayed, but here she was. After a while of waiting at the causeway, she'd come to the beach, figuring that if she was going to be stuck waiting, she should at least get a change of scenery.

Watching the waves made her think too much, though. About her grandfather and Tiny Mom, about how certain things just kept popping up through the years, even about how much her thinking had changed since she was sixteen. That was when she'd check her datapad to read up on what was going on on Corellia, because potential conflict was a happier subject.

Or she'd check on her portal's ETA and curse at the very idea of gnomes when she saw it was delayed again. How?

[Open!

Aaaaand since I'm popular today: Zayne | Anakin | Ben | Luke | Rory | Eric]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

Anakin dropped easily into the sand and tucked his knees up to his chest. "You mean with our family on island?" He grimaced. "Yeah. I barged in on that conversation."

"That part I didn't know," she said, wincing. "This is what happens when timelines collide really badly."

"You'd probably have been able to tell if you'd been on the island at the time." Anakin glanced up at her through the hair falling into his eyes, looking sheepish. "I just felt how mad she was, and realized where she was going, and --"

He'd charged headlong into it, but she knew him well enough to figure that out.

Anakin? Charge headlong into anything? Psh.

"Sorry you had to see that," she told him. "I haven't heard much about it, but what I did hear didn't sound great."

It was about as unrealistic as Jaina ending up in a life-threatening situation.

"It wasn't pretty," Anakin agreed. To understate massively. "As far as Mom being really mad goes, that one was definitely up there."

A beat.

"It isn't surprising, given the circumstances. The weird part was, I didn't know who to stick up for."

"That sort of thing gets complicated kind of fast here. Who did you stick up for?" she wondered.

"Both of them, in the end," Anakin admitted. "Mom for having a right to be mad, and Grandfather for -- well, I told her he deserved another chance."

It was a surprise to him, too, if the look on his face was any indication.

"I know, that last part takes some getting used to," she told him reassuringly. "But I'd say that was the right call."

It always felt good to get validation from Jaina, so Anakin flashed her a grateful smile.

"I guess, if I have his name, I might as well learn why, right?" he asked. "You and Tahiri were both pretty insistent about that, and if both of you are teaming up on me, I don't have much of a choice."

He grinned, if briefly. "It felt like the right call."

She grinned briefly right back. "It's a messed-up situation here where it would have probably gone badly any way we handled it," she explained. "It's amazing how redemption can complicate some things."

They could do matching grins for a second ~~and everyone could take two shots for the "lopsided Solo grin" description~~.

"It was pretty inevitable, wasn't it?" Anakin agreed. "But wow, was that ever a sight I never expected I'd ever see. Just in case anyone ever thought they didn't have enough reason to be intimidated by Mom."

His eyes went wide when he turned to her. "He apologized to her."

"It's rare, but he does it sometimes," Jaina said. Sorry, little brother's brain.

Never mind little brother's brain. The strangled squeaking noise made it sound like his respiratory system was in jeopardy.

"He's done it before?"

"Uh huh. Keep breathing, please," she told him.

...Well, okay, she meant it that way, too.

"I was breathing," Anakin insisted, even though he hadn't actually taken a breath until the reminder (thank you, Jaina). "Sorry. It's one of those things I'm going to have to get used to."

She did sort of understand that, yeah.

The getting used to it thing. Not the forgetting to breathe thing.

"It is. Vader's human, who knew."

"Apparently we do," Anakin replied. "I shouldn't be surprised how much of a relief that is, but . . . it is."

He scooted a little closer to lean into her, because it had been a rough couple of days.

"And now you're leaving again?"

Noticing the scooting, she just slung an arm around his shoulders. "Unfortunately. I was on Coruscant literally long enough to drop off Tiny Ben, take a call, and get to the Portalocity terminal. Time to get back to work. Assuming my portal ever shows up, anyway."

"They haven't gotten it for you already just on reputation alone?" Anakin teased, relaxing against her. "I don't mind too much. I got to see you for a little bit. Busy, busy, busy. It's a family trait."

"You know what's the scariest thing about that?" Jaina asked. "Mom tells me to slow down. Tell that to your Jaina next time she's being a brat."

Anakin had to take a good half minute to process that, and when he did the only thing he could say was, "And I thought this week couldn't get stranger."

Okay, not the only thing he could say.

"You actually admit to that now?"

He said, as if he wasn't just as capable of being one.

"It's so much easier to do in hindsight. But I'm downright perfect now," she teased.

"As if I'd ever believe that." Look, it was younger sibling prerogative.

"Okay, not perfect enough not to have expected that." She was still out of practice here with the sibling banter. It wasn't like her and Jacen did that anymore.

Even without knowing the context behind it, the way he felt about their brother right now Anakin would not be surprised to hear that.

"That makes me feel a little better," he teased. "That you still have a little way to go."

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject