Voicemail

[weetuskenraider]

"Tahiri here. I'm a little bit busy right now so tell me what you need and I'll get back to you. Sorry about the delay. Stupid Jawa-forsaken primitive piece of tech . . ."

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Comments

[weetuskenraider]

"Considerate of them," Tahiri remarked. "You have no idea how good it is to know that you're doing well, and happy."

[momslilassassin]

Ben smiled into the comlink. "Yeah, you too. I miss you."

[weetuskenraider]

"The feeling is mutual, Skywalker." Tahiri looked up at the stars -- they were always different when you lived on a sentient planet equipped with its own hyperdrive -- and grinned. "Do you think Chilly Boulder misses us, too?"

[momslilassassin]

"I just hope it hasn't gone bankrupt," Ben replied. "Ender and I are thinking about heading back for graduation--maybe sooner."

[weetuskenraider]

"Really? You can spare the time?" Tahiri almost sounded like her fourteen-year-old self for a moment there, out of excitement. "That would be astral. Do you think you could let me know ahead of time? Because I'd definitely try to get a few days off."

[momslilassassin]

"You'll be one of my first calls," he promised. "And the pace here is a lot slower than I thought I'd like. I haven't gotten shot at in years. It's almost weird."

[weetuskenraider]

Very weird, based on the long pause before Tahiri finally said "Oh. Um. Wow. That must have been really confusing at first."

[momslilassassin]

"It really was," Ben admitted softly. "I worry that if something does go wrong--" and it always had, eventually, "--I'm not going to be prepared any more."

[weetuskenraider]

"I don't think so," Tahiri said, her tone deliberate. "No matter how far away you are from everything you're used to, there are some things that will always be a part of you. And if you're worrying about not being prepared, well . . . you're thinking about whether or not you're prepared. You haven't forgotten. I can't really see you doing that."

[momslilassassin]

"Yeah, maybe," Ben said, but his voice said that believed her. "It's not like I have a lightsaber right now anyway to practice with, even if I wanted to."

[weetuskenraider]

"Gundark," Tahiri said affectionately. "I'm not talking about just your lightsaber skills. You're too kriffing smart not to figure out how to manage without one."

[momslilassassin]

"And Ender's pretty resourceful, and you really don't want to back him into a corner," Ben added.

[weetuskenraider]

"Which means that I doubt you'd be left to fend entirely for yourself in a bad situation," Tahiri decided. "You know, it's really strange not . . . well, it's not that I don't worry about you at all. I just worry a lot less than I used to."

[momslilassassin]

"I think the pair of us have landed on our feet pretty well," Ben replied with a little smile. "I don't worry about you as much as I worry about the Tahiri in my universe."

[weetuskenraider]

"I'm taking that as a compliment," Tahiri told him. "How is she doing? Have you heard?"

[momslilassassin]

"Well, she kicked all kinds of ass in the Temple with Jaina and Saba when Abeloth was off playing matchmaker with me," Ben said proudly. "She's thinking of turning Jedi again. Dad didn't mention anything when he was visiting--I think he was worried I'd toss him through a portal or something if he said Jedi too many times."

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri hadn't realized she was holding her breath for the answer until she caught herself exhaling. "Still. That's good to know. And hopefully Jaina will be there to stick up for her, too."

She paused. "Were you going to toss him through a portal if he did?" she asked, teasing. Mostly.

[momslilassassin]

"Well, probably not," Ben admitted, "but I was worried that he'd want me to go back to the Order now that we're back in touch, and I really need the break of not being Luke's son."

[weetuskenraider]

"I take it he didn't, then. Did he object or anything? Ask you to go back?" Tahiri asked.

[momslilassassin]

"No," Ben said softly. "He and Ender seemed to really hit it off."

[weetuskenraider]

"Good," Tahiri said, surprised at her own emphasis. "The last thing you needed was to feel torn between loyalties. Trust me, it's no fun."

She punctuated that last comment with a laugh. It hadn't been a fun time, and they both knew it, so better to play it off as a joke than try to bring up old memories.

[momslilassassin]

Ben laughed too, mostly because he knew why Tahiri was and he wouldn't hurt her for anything. "How's life on your living planet?"

[weetuskenraider]

"Good, actually. It really gives you an interesting perspective on the Force," Tahiri said. "Very relieved that we seem to be achieving something close to accord when it comes to the daily routine of life among our special mix of inhabitants, too. There are still incidents, but less chance of disaster from every tiny misunderstanding."

[momslilassassin]

"That is nice," Ben agreed. "The colonists here aren't nearly as trigger-happy here but I think we're still holding our breath as personalities bump against each other."

[weetuskenraider]

"That sounds about right," Tahiri agreed, smiling. "I think I like knowing you two are sort of in a similar situation."