Fic: "Tells" (Star Wars, Lando/Tendra)
Title: Tells
Fandom: Star Wars
Words: 1,527
Rating: G
Pairing: Lando/Tendra
Setting: Post-Corellian Trilogy
Summary: She wasn’t his type.
A/N: A very belated birthday gift for ginchy -since I promised her ages ago I would write a L/T drabble and never got around to it.
She wasn’t his type.
Of course, there were certain people among his acquaintance who would joke that she was exactly his type: breathing. But Lando Calrissian prided himself on his impeccable taste. Like a wine connoisseur, he could choose to pick through the multitudes on offer to find one that suited his discerning palate. On the other hand, like any Corellian, he sometimes knew that any old ale would do.
It was crude, he knew, but that was who he had always been. But he didn’t simply have a suave gentlemanly demeanour that hid a crass playboy underneath. He had never led a woman on, never engaged in a relationship with a woman who expected more from him and so he had kept his bachelorhood - and heart - safe. Love was a game to him; and just as when he was playing sabacc, he donned a facade to increase his odds of winning. He knew what to give away, what persona to adopt, and which cards to keep close to his chest.
Even when he’d embarked on his wife-quest, finding a loving companion was not his foremost. He wasn’t ashamed to admit it had been money - marriage was a contract after all, one that he intended to benefit from. And if he was lucky enough to find some kind of companionship with the woman, well, that was just a bonus.
It wasn’t as if he’d been envious of those among his acquaintance who had found their life partner in marriage. He had never aspired towards finding a true match as Han and Leia had found in each other. Couples like them were rare - people for whom the game had never really been necessary. And yet it was a small sting to his pride that even the Rogues seemed to be settling down .
It wasn’t that he was jealous - except, perhaps it was.
And the moment he had met Tendra the game hadn’t seemed so important anymore. He would never forget what Luke had said to him later, as they had been fleeing Sacorria, blunt in that gentle way that only Luke could be;
“You shook her hand - like a normal person.”
He hadn’t kissed her fingertips, or extolled her beauty, or tried to charm her with all means available to him. It really hadn’t been like him at all - or perhaps it had been exactly like him. The way he was around his closest friends, away from the table where he did not need to keep such close concentration on the hand he was dealt.
And so he found himself sitting, not in a fancy Coruscanti restaurant known for its fine dining and long waiting lists, but rather a more informal bistro he often frequented with Han and Leia that catered more to the family set. He’d never taken any of his dates anywhere, literally, so close to home.
But as Tendra walked in through the door, he knew it had been the right choice. She smiled warmly at him, and he rose to greet her as she walked towards the table. His keen eye appraised her, ever the gambler looking for tells, he knew to watch the way she walked, where she looked, the way she held herself; all indicators of her state of mind and what she was thinking. And naturally he allowed himself a moment to linger on her physical appearance. She was, again, dressed smartly in a dress of a deep purple hue, with a modest neckline and cut just above the knees. It set of her figure well, which the keen-eyed Coruscanti fashion designers might have called a few shades short of plump, but most would consider to simply be shapely.
With a smile that did not fail to reach her eyes, Tendra approached the table and Lando extended his hand. She shook it gently and then reached in to kiss his cheek. Not quite the way a lover would, Lando analysed, but at the very least acknowledging a level of acquaintance and affection for him. He smiled in return and pulled out her chair, as not all of his gentlemanly ways were simply posturing, before returning to his own seat.
“How was your trip?” Lando started the conversation on a neutral plane. After the Corellian debacle, Tendra had returned to Sacorria to ensure that her family had come through the crisis alright. She had only returned to Coruscant on the appropriately named Gentleman Caller that afternoon.
“As well as can be expected,” Tendra replied, picking up her menu and studying it. A move, Lando knew, meant she didn’t really wish to discuss it. But she continued; “My father was not pleased about me returning, but in the end I persuaded him, and the authorities never even knew I was there.”
“Good.” Lando also knew that had Tendra’s father had not given his permission, she would have been cut out of her inheritance. And while that in itself was not a deal-breaker (not that they’d made any deals) he felt reassured that Tendra would not have to worry about her situation in the capital. He would of course have helped her out in any way he could, but he imagined Tendra did not want to swap a dependency on her father onto that of another man.
Tendra looked up to meet his eyes, and he did not need any acute skills of observation to see that there was affection for him there.
“I took a tour of Dometown today,” she told him fondly.
“Oh?” Lando wondered whether she noticed the hitch of nervousness in his voice. “I could have arranged that for you,” he continued more smoothly.
“I know,” Tendra smiled. “But I wanted the unofficial, warts-and-all tour.”
Lando chuckled. “You were checking out my assets.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Not at all,” he waved a dismissive hand. “It shows good business sense.” To be honest, he was impressed. It was exactly what he would have done in her situation. In fact, what he had done, running an extensive check on her father’s business dealings. “Did you approve?”
“It is a risky venture,” Tendra admitted. “You’re banking on people being able to accept the lack of scenery for the lowered cost of living below ground.”
“You have to bet big to win big,” Lando pointed out.
Tendra nodded. “It has potential. But I wouldn’t underestimate the power of a blue sky.” She laughed self-consciously. “I’m sorry, I’m sure you didn’t invite me to this lovely restaurant for my amateur assessment of your business ventures.”
“No, you make a good point,” Lando answered truthfully. Although, to be honest, he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about this convergence of his romantic life and his business life. In the past he had always been careful to keep them separate...well, except for that production with Mara Jade, but even then it had just been for show. “You must have seen a lot of inner-business workings in the Sacorrian government sector,” he said.
Tendra smiled modestly. “I was more of a flimsy-pusher than anything else,” she replied. “But I grew up hiding under the desk in my father’s office. I’ve picked up a thing or two.”
“I’ll bet.” Lando realised that he actually appreciated her take on his business. Most women usually feigned interest in his work and he quickly changed the subject to allow them to talk about themselves, but he felt no need to do that with Tendra. For a brief moment, he imagined what it would be like for them to be partners in the business world as well as romantically. But he brushed that thought off quickly. It was far, far too early in the evening to start with those thoughts.
“So,” Tendra began, obviously trying to sound nonchalant but the small glances she threw him while trying to keep her gaze on her cutlery gave her away completely. “Have you heard much from Lieutenant Kalenda? I understand she was wrapping up the Corellian investigation.”
Was she seeking out information on a potential threat, or simply being conversational? Lando couldn’t be exactly sure. The two of them had met briefly during the Corellian crisis, so it would stand to reason she was curious.
“I believe she was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel,” he replied evenly. “Or so Luke tells me.”
Tendra nodded and seemed satisfied with the answer. “How is Luke doing?” she asked.
Lando chuckled. “As well as Luke does,” he answered. “He’s back on Yavin, saying he’s happy to get back to the peace and quiet, but I don’t believe him.”
“You think he’s secretly disappointed you no longer require his services on your wife-hunting expedition?” Tendra smothered a smirk.
“Well, you never know,” Lando answered playfully. “There may come a time when I would need such assistance again.”
“No,” Tendra said softly, and leaned over the table to take his hand. “I don’t think you will.”
Lando grinned at her confidence and the clear affection that lay behind it. He was used to forward women - just never one that was so genuine in her approach.
No, he thought to himself, she wasn’t his type at all.
Except perhaps she was.