Office hours- Friday

[solo_sword]

The last time Jaina had had an office was when she'd been heading up Rogue Squadron, which was both something it was impossible to avoid thinking about and something she really didn't want to think about. That did make it feel a little weird being in here and setting things up the way she liked it.

What made it weirder was that Jaina kept putting things someplace, and then the next time she looked up, they were right back where they'd been before she moved them. So apparently it was going to be that kind of day: the kind of day where you set yourself up in a battle of wills against possible office supply-related Fandom weirdness. As you do.

[Open office hours!]

Comments

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory was going to be in -- oh god -- North Carolina as of Tuesday, and part of her was kind of looking forward to that. Don't judge. But she also knew Anakin was probably going to be leaning on Jaina a bit with her gone, and plus she hadn't even seen her since she was back, so that would be her knocking lightly at the doorframe with Christopher's sling in one hand.

Juliet was not so reserved. "JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAINA!" she squealed as she ran in on chubby little legs. Look, she was even saying all the syllables in Jaina's name now! Maybe she was saying them loudly, but damn it, Rory had made sure she'd say them correctly. Speech development was super-important.

[solo_sword]

"That sounds a lot like a tiny aunt," Jaina said, standing up because she figured her legs were going to get attacked anyway in a second.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

She was right: Juliet propelled directly into those legs and clung tight. "You were gone forever."

Not really.

"Tiny uncle does not talk yet," Rory offered helpfully, keeping an eye on Juliet lest she destroy something.

[solo_sword]

"I was gone a long time," Jaina agreed, reaching down to pick Juliet up for a real hug.

She did try to get her first real peek at the baby, though. "It's a good thing tiny uncle doesn't do that yet, because tiny uncle would freak me out then."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"He's a really tiny uncle," Rory agreed, grinning and gently swinging Chris' sling forward so Jaina could see him better. Thank everything that was thankable, he was awake but not in one of his 'no one really needs eardrums' spells, so the baby nestled in there under blankets was just looking up alertly at Jaina and sucking on his fist. As you do.

And once Juliet was taken care of and Jaina'd seen the baby, she'd be getting a hug from Rory, too. Small children were, generally, less patient.

"You have a office like Daddy?" Juliet questioned, pronouncing each word meticulously and pulling back from the hug to spread her arms, palms up. She'd seen people do it on television when they didn't know the answer, so she'd been doing that with every question she asked now. It was the Question Move.

[solo_sword]

"I do," Jaina said. "Do you want to help me put stuff on my desk?"

Since it'd all just move back where it wanted to be anyway and might keep her entertained for a while.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Juliet considered this thoughtfully, then nodded her head vigorously. "I'm good at putting stuff on things," she told her proudly.

Not especially, but when you were three everything was considered an Important Life Skill, it seemed.

"We're not interrupting?" Rory asked, raising her brows worriedly. "If it's a bad time I can totally go entertain her somewhere else while you get your office straightened out."

[solo_sword]

"You're really not, trust me," Jaina assured her, going to sit Juliet in her chair so she could reach everything on the desk.

And then she was able to go over to hug Rory, careful of Christopher. "It's good to see you guys."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"How're you doing?" Rory asked, setting Christopher's sling down so she could give Jaina a proper hug. "Anakin mentioned...you know, how things went at home."

Tactfully put, Rory.

[solo_sword]

"I'm dealing," she replied, pulling away after a moment. "Trying to get back to doing normal things, you know?"

It'd be really nice if that could stop being her standard answer and she could start feeling like she was making progress, though.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I completely get that," Rory said honestly. "And if you need us to help with that like, at all, let me know. Or, well, let your grandfather know because I'll be on the campaign trail, but you can always text me or email or whatever if you think he'll be weird about something."

She could provide ice cream and drinking when she was in wherever, though! Only a portal away and all that.

[solo_sword]

"Thanks. He's been pretty good about things so far, though. I'm impressed." She'd like a conversation with him that didn't start with 'are you okay?' but she knew she hadn't earned that yet. "When do you leave?"

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Monday night," Rory said, and even if she made a face she still looked pretty excited about it. "I have to cover the DNC, and it starts Tuesday, so. But I'll be back like, all the time. 'Cause baby."

She wasn't going into more detail than that, but Chris was not ready to be away from his mom for very long just yet.

[solo_sword]

"I'm sure Grandfather'll appreciate that..." Otherwise Jaina expected to be doing quite a bit of babysitting. Which she'd still volunteer to do anyway.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I think he's excited to try out single parenthood." No, she didn't think anything of the sort. But at least Lorelai had promised he could call her if he was freaking out.

[solo_sword]

"My dad always handled that kind of thing pretty well. I mean, we pretty much got away with murder and that's probably why," she admitted. "I don't think Grandfather'll be like that."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I feel like I will be missed," Rory decided, diplomatically. "And also like you might be seeing a lot of your tiny aunt and unc -- Juliet, stop that."

Juliet looked up from where she had been "coloring" with a ballpoint pen on her hand, her expression one of startled panic, followed by faux-innocence. "Drawin' a kitty," she mumbled, realizing that her excuses were not going to work, and set the pen down in the small pile she'd been obediently making.

"...anyway," Rory continued. "You'll be seeing a lot of Juliet and Chris, I think. Just guessing. Figured you ought to actually meet tiny uncle in person."

[solo_sword]

"Does that mean I get to hold him?" Jaina asked.

And then she'd never tell her mother she even asked, just in case it started a round of how Han and Leia really liked having Allana around and did she see Jag being a permanent thing, and as it stood now Jaina liked not having pressure there.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"If you want," Rory said, maybe remembering it being somewhat different when Juliet was born. She reached into the sling and gently pulling Christopher out to hand over to Jaina. "He's generally pretty quiet, but if he freaks out don't take it personally."

[solo_sword]

In her defense, Jaina had been a dummy with issues when Juliet was born. She held him carefully, saying, "I'm very good at calming down freaking-out babies. Because I can cheat."

It'd always worked on Ben, anyway.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Christopher had abandoned his fist and instead made grabby hands for Jaina's hair. It was shorter than he was used to grabbing for, but still.

"Another tool that I think'll help when I'm gone," Rory noted. "I approve of cheating in this instance."

[solo_sword]

"I think it gets tougher when they get older, too, so enjoy it while you can," Jaina advised. "Either that or the one five-year-old I know is immune to that sort of thing." Or she wasn't easily tricked, whatever.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"No, Juliet's resistant, too," Rory sighed. "Our last haircut was a bad time."

There was a reason Juliet kept her hair long, okay. It was no one's choice, but rather an executive decision. They'd cut it while she slept or something.

[solo_sword]

"On to logic and bribery?" Jaina guessed.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"The very best in parenting, yes," Rory said solemnly. "Logic is still not a thing she responds to very well."

[solo_sword]

"She'll get there. And it'll be a hppy day when she does," Jaina said, reaching to try and gently loosen Christopher's grip on her hair a little, even if she didn't need him to let go entirely.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I mean, she has her own little kid logic," Rory mused. "It is not exactly like our Earth logic, though." She shook her head, and added, "But no, you're gonna see enough of them while I'm gone. How are you? You're teaching?"

[solo_sword]

"Yep. Combat. I figure I might as well share my real skills with other people who just might need them here," Jaina said.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I'd have taken your class, back in the day," Rory said with a small smile. "More of a run-away kind of girl."

[solo_sword]

"There's nothing wrong with that," Jaina said. "I've done it myself once or twice."

Probably literally once or twice. The most recent time was because she was forced to, and also concussed.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I usually also throw coffee, but that's more of a coincidence than a thing I plan on doing," Rory admitted.

[solo_sword]

"That's one I hadn't heard before," she frowned. "You throw coffee?"

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I think it might be more accurate to say I throw whatever's in my hand, but that usually seems to be coffee," Rory said, shrugging.

[solo_sword]

"That could work. I might advise something heavier..." Not a kid, but.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"It usually at least stunned whatever it was," Rory noted happily. "And then Anakin could lightsaber it or Aeryn could shoot it or whatever."

Good times.

[solo_sword]

Jaina couldn't help but smile. "I don't think I've ever head 'lightsaber' used as a verb before."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"It's totally a verb," Rory assured her. "Nothing else does that particular action justice."

[solo_sword]

"Swing, stab, cut down, dismember..." she supplied.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Inefficient," Rory declared. "'Lightsaber' covers all of that."

[solo_sword]

"Well, now I obviously need to change my class on lightsaber skills by just calling it Lightsabering," Jaina said.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I can't believe you ever called it anything else," Rory noted, shaking her head disparagingly.

[solo_sword]

"I know. In my defense..." She paused. "I don't really have a defense on this one."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"It's handy in threats too because people automatically know what you mean," Rory noted. "'Stop or I'll lightsaber you!' is really scary-sounding."

[solo_sword]

"You know we don't actually stay stuff like that, right?" Jaina checked. Maybe Corran did.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Not even when I ask nicely," Rory said, pouting. "You guys just like, wave a hand or whatever. I think my way would be pretty cool, though."

[solo_sword]

"Hey, some of us quip," Jaina said. She was one of them.