(no subject)
Luke strolls through on his way out to a little lightsaber practice, snagging a bottle of water from the Bar as he passes it. He has the helmet under his arm, the remote tucked inside it, and is already unclipping the 'saber from his belt as he walks through the front door, as he has been lately. After all, he's Bound. It just leads to the lake.
... or, you know, not. He blinks in the desert sun for a second, then turns back around. The door to Chalmun's Cantina has shut behind him already; he opens it as quickly as he can.
Milliways is still there, just as it should be, the patrons still sitting where they were a second ago. But outside, beggars and vendors and parked landspeeders are just where they were six months ago. He thinks about it for a long moment, standing there with the door open, before deciding that he may as well take the chance to go and explain things to the Darklighters.
It's about an hour, in his rented landspeeder, back to their homestead. When he pulls up outside, there's a freckle-faced boy about eleven years old sitting cross-legged on the sand, tinkering with a broken vaporator. Luke grins. "Hey, Gavin. Gonna get that thing working again?"
"Maybe." The kid doesn't look up from his work. "You're back early."
"Yeah, I know." He walks over and glances down into the courtyard. "Where's your aunt?"
Gavin points across the compound, toward the kitchen, his attention still focused on the vaporator. "Making dinner. Bantha stew."
Luke nods and heads down the stairs. "Aunt Coria?"
"Luke!" She turns from the stovetop, smiling. "I'm glad you're back early. Would you give Gavin a ride back home? His mother just called and said he should have been back an hour ago, and I don't want him walking all that distance this close to sunsdown."
"Of course. How soon will dinner be ready?"
Coria Darklighter shrugs, adding a handful of chopped roots to the stewpot. "An hour or so. You should be back in plenty of time. I'll keep some warm for you if you're late."
"Thanks." Luke walks back upstairs and takes Gavin by the shoulder. "Come on, kid. Your mom's been waiting on you an hour. Let's get you back."
... or, you know, not. He blinks in the desert sun for a second, then turns back around. The door to Chalmun's Cantina has shut behind him already; he opens it as quickly as he can.
Milliways is still there, just as it should be, the patrons still sitting where they were a second ago. But outside, beggars and vendors and parked landspeeders are just where they were six months ago. He thinks about it for a long moment, standing there with the door open, before deciding that he may as well take the chance to go and explain things to the Darklighters.
It's about an hour, in his rented landspeeder, back to their homestead. When he pulls up outside, there's a freckle-faced boy about eleven years old sitting cross-legged on the sand, tinkering with a broken vaporator. Luke grins. "Hey, Gavin. Gonna get that thing working again?"
"Maybe." The kid doesn't look up from his work. "You're back early."
"Yeah, I know." He walks over and glances down into the courtyard. "Where's your aunt?"
Gavin points across the compound, toward the kitchen, his attention still focused on the vaporator. "Making dinner. Bantha stew."
Luke nods and heads down the stairs. "Aunt Coria?"
"Luke!" She turns from the stovetop, smiling. "I'm glad you're back early. Would you give Gavin a ride back home? His mother just called and said he should have been back an hour ago, and I don't want him walking all that distance this close to sunsdown."
"Of course. How soon will dinner be ready?"
Coria Darklighter shrugs, adding a handful of chopped roots to the stewpot. "An hour or so. You should be back in plenty of time. I'll keep some warm for you if you're late."
"Thanks." Luke walks back upstairs and takes Gavin by the shoulder. "Come on, kid. Your mom's been waiting on you an hour. Let's get you back."