Jaina Solo Fel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
solo_sword) wrote2012-06-02 10:47 am
solo_sword) wrote2012-06-02 10:47 am
Maitell base- Kashyyyk- Saturday Fandom time
Once again, Jaina found herself checking in on someone after an injury, and the rough part about it this time was that it was Ben. She told herself it bothered her this much it was because he was young, and that even if she'd been ending up in bacta tanks at his age, it was different when you were an adult seeing what kind of trouble a teenager could get into.
In reality, it was because it was Jacen's fault. Because Jacen had thought it fit to use Yuuzhan Vong torture on the cousin who didn't used to be able to think of him as anything but a hero.
She found Ben in the infirmary, after he'd been treated. If she'd gone to see him while he'd been in a tank, she thought she might have snapped and gone after Jacen herself, and she knew that wouldn't work out so well for her. "So this is a family tradition I'd rather you not continue," she greeted him.
“Me either,” Ben replied, looking wiped out. “Bacta tastes gross.”
"And the fun part is, you never get used to it," she told him, sitting in the chair provided. "How're you doing?" Not that she expected a completely forthcoming answer, but that wouldn't stop her from asking.
“Fine,” he said, brushing the question off. He chewed on his lower lip and then, avoiding Jaina’s eyes, asked softly, “Did you get my warning about the Academy?”
"I did. And it was hugely helpful." She wasn't sure she'd have woken up, and definitely not in time, if it hadn't been for him. "If I hadn't... Well, it wouldn't have gone well." Not that she doubted Jag's abilities or anything, but he most likely couldn't have handled that on his own.
He was finding the sheets absolutely fascinating to look at--he was hoping she’d think his reticence to look at her was a consequence of his time in the Embrace of Pain and not the crushing guilt he felt for putting the Academy into danger in the first place.
“I don’t know what to say here,” he finally admitted. “Something about pulling wings off of gundarks?”
She nodded, almost thoughtfully. "We could go with that," she said. She didn't question why he was avoiding her eyes or anything. Between the whole torture thing and a lot of other things that had happened, or still might be happening that she had no clue about, there were plenty of reasons for it. "Though I think that's supposed to be my line."
“And I don’t think anyone’s going to be kissing a Wookiee for a while, either,” he said, looking heartsick. “How’s Dad?”
"Walking around already like a dummy," Jaina snorted, because when two people like Luke and Jacen nearly killed each other in a fight, some downtime should be necessary. Of course, she being slightly hypocritical in thinking that. "Looks pretty bad, but he'll be okay."
“Should I be up too?” Ben asked, finally meeting her eyes. “This was my first bacta bath and I don’t want to look like I’m slacking--”
"No," she assured him. "You're definitely not slacking. And we'd all rather see you rest up and heal some before you're walking around like the guy I just called a dummy."
“That’s Grand Master Dummy to you,” he mumbled, sinking his head into the pillow. “I’ve never seen him so angry.”
Ben’d had his own moments in the room as well, but he wasn’t as inclined to bring them up.
"Can't really say I blame him," Jaina admitted, though she'd already seen a moment or two where Luke had genuinely scared her just by being angry. One of those moments had been in relation to Ben, and that hadn't even involved anything like this. "He seems better now, though. Calmer."
Whether he was or not, Jaina couldn't be sure. It was likely he was still plenty pissed, just injured and tired.
“If he’s up already, I don’t think he’s that calm,” Ben replied. He wasn’t sure any of them could be with Jacen still out there.
"More focused then, maybe," she conceded. "I don't think he'll be rushing into anything big and Jacen-related for a bit, at any rate. And Mom and I have already promised to give him an even worse beating if he does." Though Jaina called dibs on that. Because when your uncle used your shots in an X-wing to fake his death to get aboard the ship, you totally got dibs, even if it was to rescue his kid.
“Seems fair,” Ben said. “I’m not exactly up to it at the moment.”
Not that he thought he’d have a chance to begin with. It had taken weeks of build-up and nerve steeling to take his shot against Jacen, and that had ended in catastrophe.
"You shouldn't have to anyway," she pointed out. Which, in her mind, went for trying to stand up to Jacen, too, though she wasn't going to say that right now. There was probably a reason it came down to her, even if she didn't know what it was yet. She just wished that was something she could tell him before he ended up in a Vong torture device.
He plucked at the sheet again. “I’m old enough to,” he insisted. “I’m not a kid.”
Yes, he was. He was much less of a kid than he should have been, but he was still fourteen. "It's got nothing to do with how old you are. There are just things you shouldn't have to do at any age."
Ben’s face went pale. “Yeah, well, it’s a little late for that now, huh?”
"It's something to keep in mind for later, then," she said, making her voice a little more gentle.
“It’s probably a little soon to put in for retirement,” he said, trying--and failing, utterly--to smile at her.
Jaina wasn't doing so well on the smiling herself these days. "A little. But I think it does mean you get to take a huge break if you want." She doubted he would, but.
Ben stared at her blankly. “But there’s so much to do. The Order needs to be resettled, for one thing.”
"That doesn't need to be your job," she said.
“I’m pretty sure that Jacen would have a thing or two to say if I tried to show up at my last job,” he said softly.
"Jacen can suck it," Jaina replied. Oh, there were so many Earth phrases she really never should have learned. "For a lot of reasons."
Ben wished he didn’t sound like such a little kid when he asked, “What are we going to do about him?”
"Whatever we have to," she told him. She wasn't going to say it outright, in part because she still hoped it didn't come to that. Some part of her would hope that right until she had to do it- if she did. "Trust me, okay? He'll be stopped."
For a second the rage that had frightened Luke flashed in Ben’s eyes again. “Kriffing right he will be.”
Oh, that was something she immediately never wanted to see again. If nothing else, putting a little distance between this for both Luke and Ben before whatever came next was probably a good thing. "But for now, rest up. We'll figure out the next step, and then we'll move on."
Ben nodded and closed his eyes. “Thanks for stopping in, Jaina.”
She stood, touching his shoulder briefly. She really wished she could just say things would be okay, but that didn't feel very possible at the moment. She stuck with, "I'll see you later."
[NFB, NFI, OOC okay. Thank you to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
momslilassassin for Benning it up for me!]
In reality, it was because it was Jacen's fault. Because Jacen had thought it fit to use Yuuzhan Vong torture on the cousin who didn't used to be able to think of him as anything but a hero.
She found Ben in the infirmary, after he'd been treated. If she'd gone to see him while he'd been in a tank, she thought she might have snapped and gone after Jacen herself, and she knew that wouldn't work out so well for her. "So this is a family tradition I'd rather you not continue," she greeted him.
“Me either,” Ben replied, looking wiped out. “Bacta tastes gross.”
"And the fun part is, you never get used to it," she told him, sitting in the chair provided. "How're you doing?" Not that she expected a completely forthcoming answer, but that wouldn't stop her from asking.
“Fine,” he said, brushing the question off. He chewed on his lower lip and then, avoiding Jaina’s eyes, asked softly, “Did you get my warning about the Academy?”
"I did. And it was hugely helpful." She wasn't sure she'd have woken up, and definitely not in time, if it hadn't been for him. "If I hadn't... Well, it wouldn't have gone well." Not that she doubted Jag's abilities or anything, but he most likely couldn't have handled that on his own.
He was finding the sheets absolutely fascinating to look at--he was hoping she’d think his reticence to look at her was a consequence of his time in the Embrace of Pain and not the crushing guilt he felt for putting the Academy into danger in the first place.
“I don’t know what to say here,” he finally admitted. “Something about pulling wings off of gundarks?”
She nodded, almost thoughtfully. "We could go with that," she said. She didn't question why he was avoiding her eyes or anything. Between the whole torture thing and a lot of other things that had happened, or still might be happening that she had no clue about, there were plenty of reasons for it. "Though I think that's supposed to be my line."
“And I don’t think anyone’s going to be kissing a Wookiee for a while, either,” he said, looking heartsick. “How’s Dad?”
"Walking around already like a dummy," Jaina snorted, because when two people like Luke and Jacen nearly killed each other in a fight, some downtime should be necessary. Of course, she being slightly hypocritical in thinking that. "Looks pretty bad, but he'll be okay."
“Should I be up too?” Ben asked, finally meeting her eyes. “This was my first bacta bath and I don’t want to look like I’m slacking--”
"No," she assured him. "You're definitely not slacking. And we'd all rather see you rest up and heal some before you're walking around like the guy I just called a dummy."
“That’s Grand Master Dummy to you,” he mumbled, sinking his head into the pillow. “I’ve never seen him so angry.”
Ben’d had his own moments in the room as well, but he wasn’t as inclined to bring them up.
"Can't really say I blame him," Jaina admitted, though she'd already seen a moment or two where Luke had genuinely scared her just by being angry. One of those moments had been in relation to Ben, and that hadn't even involved anything like this. "He seems better now, though. Calmer."
Whether he was or not, Jaina couldn't be sure. It was likely he was still plenty pissed, just injured and tired.
“If he’s up already, I don’t think he’s that calm,” Ben replied. He wasn’t sure any of them could be with Jacen still out there.
"More focused then, maybe," she conceded. "I don't think he'll be rushing into anything big and Jacen-related for a bit, at any rate. And Mom and I have already promised to give him an even worse beating if he does." Though Jaina called dibs on that. Because when your uncle used your shots in an X-wing to fake his death to get aboard the ship, you totally got dibs, even if it was to rescue his kid.
“Seems fair,” Ben said. “I’m not exactly up to it at the moment.”
Not that he thought he’d have a chance to begin with. It had taken weeks of build-up and nerve steeling to take his shot against Jacen, and that had ended in catastrophe.
"You shouldn't have to anyway," she pointed out. Which, in her mind, went for trying to stand up to Jacen, too, though she wasn't going to say that right now. There was probably a reason it came down to her, even if she didn't know what it was yet. She just wished that was something she could tell him before he ended up in a Vong torture device.
He plucked at the sheet again. “I’m old enough to,” he insisted. “I’m not a kid.”
Yes, he was. He was much less of a kid than he should have been, but he was still fourteen. "It's got nothing to do with how old you are. There are just things you shouldn't have to do at any age."
Ben’s face went pale. “Yeah, well, it’s a little late for that now, huh?”
"It's something to keep in mind for later, then," she said, making her voice a little more gentle.
“It’s probably a little soon to put in for retirement,” he said, trying--and failing, utterly--to smile at her.
Jaina wasn't doing so well on the smiling herself these days. "A little. But I think it does mean you get to take a huge break if you want." She doubted he would, but.
Ben stared at her blankly. “But there’s so much to do. The Order needs to be resettled, for one thing.”
"That doesn't need to be your job," she said.
“I’m pretty sure that Jacen would have a thing or two to say if I tried to show up at my last job,” he said softly.
"Jacen can suck it," Jaina replied. Oh, there were so many Earth phrases she really never should have learned. "For a lot of reasons."
Ben wished he didn’t sound like such a little kid when he asked, “What are we going to do about him?”
"Whatever we have to," she told him. She wasn't going to say it outright, in part because she still hoped it didn't come to that. Some part of her would hope that right until she had to do it- if she did. "Trust me, okay? He'll be stopped."
For a second the rage that had frightened Luke flashed in Ben’s eyes again. “Kriffing right he will be.”
Oh, that was something she immediately never wanted to see again. If nothing else, putting a little distance between this for both Luke and Ben before whatever came next was probably a good thing. "But for now, rest up. We'll figure out the next step, and then we'll move on."
Ben nodded and closed his eyes. “Thanks for stopping in, Jaina.”
She stood, touching his shoulder briefly. She really wished she could just say things would be okay, but that didn't feel very possible at the moment. She stuck with, "I'll see you later."
[NFB, NFI, OOC okay. Thank you to
momslilassassin for Benning it up for me!]
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