Beach [afternoon]

[momslilassassin]

It had been an extremely long and musical day, which was why Ben had fled to the beach as soon as his classes were over in the hopes that the song Captain Kirk had been singing would eventually get out of his head.

Naturally, he'd been on the beach all of a minute when he'd gotten his wish.

Comments

[weetuskenraider]

A little while later, after a call home that still wasn't giving her much to work with as far as when she'd be going home and what she was going to be doing there, Tahiri came down to the beach herself. She'd been hoping to live down the embarrassment of kicking off the questions section of the briefing with a rousing chorus of "500 Miles," but found herself looking out over the water and singing something . . . not very cheerful, and not at all surprising.

It took another half hour or so to collect herself after that, but, a little sniffly still, she headed Ben's way when she spotted him.

"Tell me there hasn't been any more singing today?"

Yeah, she'd heard, even if she couldn't make out the words.

[[And of course that link is your fault. :D]]

[momslilassassin]

Ben jumped a little.

"I could, but it wouldn't be true," he said with a small smile. "I'm not sure which song was worse, Kirk's or Rimmer's."

[OOC: I AM NOT SORRY.]

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri gave him an apologetic smile, pretending to look like she hadn't been crying not too long ago. "I just sang at your dad, a whole bunch of Jedi, and a handful of military types over the comm."

[momslilassassin]

Ben pretended for the moment that he was buying that she hadn't been crying, and gestured to a patch of sand nearby. "Were they extremely impressed?" he teased.

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri sat down and tucked her knees up under her chin. "I'm choosing to interpret Kyp Durron making funny noises as being impressed."

[momslilassassin]

Ben smiled. "Good choice. He's probably just jealous he didn't think of singing during the meeting first."

He blew out a breath. "Heading home soon, then?"

His Force-sense wasn't nearly as casual about the idea as his tone implied.

[weetuskenraider]

"I'm not sure when," Tahiri admitted, and she knew he was more worried than he was letting on so she sent a little wave of comfort toward him. "Probably not for a couple of weeks yet. Which is good. I need more training time first."

[momslilassassin]

"Let me know where you need me," Ben said quietly.

[weetuskenraider]

"Flight training," Tahiri clarified, some of her nervousness bleeding into her Force-sense. "Jaina's helping me with that."

That might not have come out sounding too good. She glanced away and rubbed at her eyes, then looked at him. "You know I always need you around, right?"

[momslilassassin]

Any other time and he would have known it, but Ben was still feeling stung by Val's casual mention that of course she and Ender would be heading out into the vastness of space. Together. And without him.

And cue the Force-cursed music.

Open the curtain,
Let some light in,
I feel so gray,
The world got smashed to pieces,
And put back together
The wrong way.

Why you leaving me now?
There must be some doubt in your mind,
Can't you open your heart?
Don't want to be left behind...

His eyes bugged out and he put his hands over his mouth.

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri stared at him for a second, then opened her mouth to assure him she wasn't going away like that. What came out instead was, well.

"Count the miles on the highways,
The sum of all my days.
Here's a postcard, there's a call;
Here's a picture for your bedroom wall.
But do you ever wonder, through and through:
Who's that person standing next to you?
And after all the nights apart,
Is there a home for a traveling heart?
But if I weren't leaving you, I don't know what I would do.
But the more I go, the less I know:
Will the fire still burn on my return?
To keep the path lit on the only road I know,
Honey, all I know to do is go."

Tahiri groaned. "Not like . . ." She shut up before she started singing again.

[momslilassassin]

"Seemed fairly straightforward to me," he said, biting his lip.

[weetuskenraider]

"I'm not talking about us, Ben," Tahiri said quietly. "You don't think I'd walk away from that so easily, do you?"

[momslilassassin]

"I hope not," he replied, sneaking his hand out toward hers. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

[weetuskenraider]

"Me too. I just -- it's what we do. If they need me, I have to go, but . . ." Tahiri reached for his hand, guessing he could use the reassurance.

She ended up giving him a little more than that.

"
Don't push me in too deep --
I've always been the fool who rushes in.
I know you've got to take the pieces one-by-one
Before you've got everything
So forgive me if we take time,
But there's something thats been on my mind.

I'm going fast as I can, please don't make me rush
This feeling's coming on way too fast
I'll tell you all of the things that you'll never forget
But I'm not ready to say "I love you" yet."

She managed to stop there, but wow, the sand was fascinating all of a sudden.

[momslilassassin]

Ben's jaw dropped, but he squeezed her hand.

If you're lost you can look--and you will find me
time after time
if you fall I will catch you--I'll be waiting
time after time--

...and sang. Dammit.