Room 529, Just After Third Period

[weetuskenraider]

Master Atreides's class today had been the first real test of her newly integrating personality, and Tahiri was relieved that it had gone well. There were still things she had to get used to, new reflexive reactions and thought patterns, but instead of feeling like she was at odds with herself it was more a case of trying to unlearn bad habits or adjust her way of thinking.

That wouldn't be an instant fix, but it was a hell of a lot less stressful to deal with.

After class, she headed back to her room to check her messages and get caught up on what was going on at home. She might've had a little bit of an ulterior motive there. She had an Idea.

It couldn't be that bad an idea, could it? Those had only ever been a real recipe for trouble when she'd been around Anakin.

. . . keep telling yourself that, Tahiri.

[OOC: Hey, look who hasn't roomposted in forever. For the boy, but open after.]

Comments

[momslilassassin]

Ben, clad in khakis and a sweater (and looking ridiculously uncomfortable in them), rapped impatiently at her door.

His hair showed signs of having his fingers repeatedly run through it. "Tahiri?"

[weetuskenraider]

The fact that Tahiri could sense as much agitation from Ben as she did was ample cause for concern, and she scrambled up off her bed and over to the door, yanking it open.

The clothes, not to mention his expression and his hair, were more of one.

"What's going on, Ben?" she asked immediately. Sometimes hellos were a waste of time.

[momslilassassin]

"Ender is a kriffing moron," Ben replied, scowling. "He's gone home, something about a storm and Caligula and not worrying but he's gone and didn't even say goodbye."

Hello there, abandonment issues.

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri growled a mild Tusken curse under her breath; it was the 'didn't even say goodbye' part that triggered her sympathy the most.

Ben's outfit was a clue in more ways than one, and matter-of-factly she asked, "You're going after him, aren't you?"

[momslilassassin]

He nodded. "He doesn't like home," he said. "He doesn't want to be involved with whatever's going on there. I don't think he wanted to go back."

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri could understand that feeling. She stepped back from the doorway, belatedly, to let Ben in if he wanted. "You know I won't stop you. But --" and her voice was firmer than it might have been not that long ago -- "you'd better come back, both of you."

[momslilassassin]

He nodded again. "Karla's coming too," he added, walking into the room and slumping onto the bed. "She wouldn't take no as an answer, plus she had Valentine's number handy."

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri nudged the door shut and went to curl up beside him. "As if Karla will ever take no for an answer when she doesn't want to? Good. Someone has to be around to knock some sense into you and Ender when you need it."

[momslilassassin]

Ben wrapped his arms around her and held on tightly. "I don't need sense knocked into me. I'm being very calm."

Liar, liar, liar.

As if he realized that, he hastily slammed up his mental shields.

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

Hurley wandered back into their room, having gone out for hot cocoa. He even had two cups.

He held one out for her. "You like cocoa, right?" he asked, smiling.

[weetuskenraider]

"Do Jawas like to collect scrap metal?" Tahiri asked, managing a slightly more subdued smile. "Chocolate's harder to come by in my galaxy these days. I'm stocking up as long as I'm here."

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Well, don't stockpile this," Hurley said. "It'll go cold and cold hot cocoa isn't nearly as good. Err... I guess it's just cocoa at that point, isn't it."

[weetuskenraider]

"But it's still chocolate," Tahiri pointed out, taking the cup. "And I'd take cold cocoa over chocolate-free rations on a mission any day."

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Good point," Hurley said. Maybe I need to buy you a box of Hershey bars before your next mission home or something. Seems only right."

He walked over and took a seat on his bed. Four-Dee zipped out from under the bed and promptly started running into his foot.

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri tensed briefly at the sight of the droid, but gritted her teeth and shook it off. "If you're going to send me off with chocolate, better make it the good stuff. One of those giant bars of dark chocolate half as tall as I am, maybe."

She picked at a stray thread on her pant cuff. "You migiht want to look into that soon."

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

Hurley nudged Four Dee back under the bed with his foot. He knew that reaction when he saw it. "Got a big mission coming up again?" he said, not exactly looking pleased at the thought.

Hey, he worried.

[weetuskenraider]

"It's okay," Tahiri said quickly, indicating Four-Dee. "I mean, the reaction . . . it's not bad the way it used to be. Think of it as me trying to teach myself not to bite my nails."

She managed to snap the thread loose and flick it aside. "No big mission, not yet. But I'm probably going soon. There's something I need to do."

[solo_sword]

Jaina hadn't wanted to ask after her in class, so afterward she went upstairs and knocked on the doorframe. "Hey there."

And if making sure Tahiri was still doing okay was also keeping her from checking her phone for the thousandth time today, that was an added bonus.

[weetuskenraider]

Well, if anyone was going to make her feel better not dirty this is not canon after Ben left, it would be Jaina. Still not dirty.

Tahiri darted across the room to open the door all the way, smiling. "Jaina, hey."

[solo_sword]

"Hi. I just figured I'd come by to see how you were doing. Rather than just making faces at each other in class," she explained.

[weetuskenraider]

"Even though that's sort of tradition?" Tahiri asked. Hey, it didn't even take that much work to make the joke. Check that out. Look, she wasn't talking all randomly formally now or something. She stepped back to let Jaina in, and took a breath. "I'm better. It's not perfect, but I wasn't expecting that. I'm still working the bugs out, you know?"

[solo_sword]

Stepping inside, she checked, "But it's not any scary kind of bugs?" Give them a few years for those.

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri laughed -- yes, a real laugh. "Only the figurative kind." Because Raynar isn't sending out creepy mindcalls yet. "I really appreciate you being there, you know. I know sitting around not being able to do anything drives you crazy, but . . . I'm glad you were there."

[solo_sword]

"If that's what I could do, I was glad to do it," Jaina assured her. And really, it was worth it just to see her genuinely laughing and joking now. "Some things you have to do on your own, but support doesn't hurt."

[weetuskenraider]

"Definitely not." Tahiri chewed on her lower lip for a moment and then, because she just had to, to see the reaction, asked, "So if I tried to hug you right now . . ."