Skywalker apartment [Tuesday morning, Fandom time]
Ben's brain was whirling in a thousand different directions as he, Ender and his father made their way back to the apartment. Luke stayed only to shower before heading to the Temple to wrap up final details with the Jedi Council and Ender disappeared silently into the guest quarters to give Ben some space for a communication he absolutely dreaded making.
After ten solid minutes of staring at his comlink, he finally blew out a breath and punched in Tahiri's number (making sure to double check which one he was calling).
As he waited for her to pick up, he wasn't sure which option would be worse: telling her to her face, or leaving a message.
Tahiri
To say that Tahiri had a bad feeling about this call would be an understatement. Still, the comlink was in her hand the split second she heard it going off -- almost before it did -- as she hurried further up the beach, away from the sound of the waves.
"Tahiri here."
Absurdly, she thought that she really ought to get back into the habit of answering her calls more formally.
Ben
"Hey, it's me," Ben said quietly. "I'm, um, obviously, not back yet. How long has it been, anyway?"
Stall, Ben, stall.
Tahiri
Bad feeling: already validated. If that weren't par for the course, she'd be feeling a lot more worried right now.
"I'd noticed, yes," Tahiri replied. "It's only been a few days, though. Hardly any time at all. Something's going on, isn't it?"
Ben
There was a short pause, then, "Yeah. Dad's been exiled from Coruscant for the next ten years." His voice cracked at the last two words.
Tahiri
"Exiled?" Tahiri repeated, then lapsed into several moments of indignant, guttural sputtering in Tusken. A translation really wasn't necessary; her tone of voice said it all.
"Sithspawn, what the kriff for? No, you don't have to tell me if it risks too much about the timeline, but . . ." She shut her eyes for a moment. "It's stupid to ask if there's an easy way to fix that, isn't there?"
Ben
"No, because I've been asking that for the last week," Ben said, sounding a little defeated. "They basically found a legal way to convict him for not stopping Jacen from turning to the Dark Side."
Tahiri
For a moment, Tahiri wondered if that other version of her, and her stupid decisions, had added weight to the conviction; she decided not to add to Ben's problems by asking.
"Ten years. Khapet -- that can't be a good thing for the Order, Ben."
Ben
"He's not allowed contact with them," he said dully. "Kenth Hamner is taking his place as temporary--if ten years can be considered temporary--head of the Order." Ben ran his free hand through his hair. "The only way he gets this finished with early is if he proves to a tribunal set up by Daala that he's successfully proven what set Jacen off. And the Force only knows what proof that would take."
Tahiri
A tribunal set up by Natasi Daala? Tahiri let out a despairing little growl. From what she knew of the admiral already, that wasn't good.
"Let me guess," she said slowly. "You're not allowed to help him from wherever he's not, are you?"
Ben
"It wasn't specifically stated," Ben said, running the list of arrangements back through his mind, "but I'm going with him anyway. I can't not."
Tahiri
Tahiri's knees didn't actually give out under her, but for a very long moment she was convinced they would.
"You're going with him." For all that she'd talked about making the most of their time so they wouldn't regret it when it was over, because you never knew what might happen, the shock was still nearly physical. But she wasn't going to crumple, and she damned kriffing well wasn't going to let him hear her cry. "Starting now, I assume?"
Ben
"We have--" he glanced at his chrono, "--22 hours left on Coruscant. I'm so sorry, Tahiri." His voice cracked again. It had been a really long few days for him.
Tahiri
"Don't be sorry," Tahiri said vehemently -- a little too vehemently, but talking around the lump in her throat was hard.
She could feel sorry for herself; she could choose to resent that Ben had chosen to go with his father, because it would mean the second time someone she loved had made a choice, and the choice wasn't her.
Tahiri was a Jedi, though -- and a Yuuzhan Vong with a strong sense of family. There wasn't a chance in the nine Corellian hells of that.
"Dummy. Don't you understand I'm proud of you?"
Ben
"You are?" he whispered.
Tahiri
"Absolutely," Tahiri choked out. "He's your father, Ben, and he deserves so much better than this. Besides, with you and Ender both around, he's got the best possible chance of finding that proof he needs."
She swallowed, hard. "I'll miss you. I really will. But I expect you to do the right thing, Skywalker." There was an affectionate note to that last word, not to mention a touch of emphasis; she trusted he'd know what she implied by it.
Ben
"I am going to miss you so much," he murmured.
The shock was wearing off. This conversation was making it real. Ten years in a ship with his father starting in less than a day...and Ender would only be a buffer for them for a year.
He took a shuddering breath. "Tahiri--"
Tahiri
"Whatever you have to say, Ben, say it now," Tahiri said thickly, rubbing at her eyes with one hand; they were starting to sting, despite her best efforts. Ten years was a long time, whether or not you took into account whatever time variations might crop up between Fandom and his timeline, or hers; ten years was long past any amount of time she'd thought they might have left.
"Say it now, while you can. I'm not going to let you live with the weight of everything you wished you could have said while you had the chance."
Ben
"I love you," he blurted, "but there is no point in trying to keep this going, is there?"
That was among the most painful things he'd ever said aloud in his life.
Tahiri
And now was the point when Tahiri couldn't choke back a sob any more.
"No," she replied, wondering how one stupid, tiny, monosyllabic word could seem so awful. "No, I don't think there is."
If they'd had those last few months -- no, not thinking about that. Not because she was pretending to ignore reality; the reality was, there was no point.
Ben
Ben reminded himself that sobbing through a intergalactic call would be absolutely useless. He'd do that after he got off the comm.
"But we can still be friends?"
How the kriffing hells did he become this guy?
Tahiri
"Ben." She'd be laughing, if she felt like she could right now, but the best Tahiri could manage was a funny little crack in her voice and a desperate fallback to her unique brand of answering yes-or-no questions.
"Is Mon Cal extremely wet?"
Ben
That got a little laugh out of him. "I don't know how good the comms are going to be where we're headed," he said, "but I'll keep in touch as much as I can."
Tahiri
"You'd better," Tahiri answered with a sniffle. "Otherwise I'd send someone after you. And -- Ben?"
Ben
"Yes?" he asked, heart pounding painfully in his chest.
Tahiri
"I love you," Tahiri said, so emphatically it was almost vehement, but she wouldn't turn down the chance to say it when she could. "This isn't how we planned to end things, but . . ."
But again, when did anything ever go according to plan?
"I want you to know I'm still not sorry for a second of it."
Ben
Despite his best efforts, Ben was sniffling now.
"Me either," he told her just as vehemently.
Tahiri
"Good to know." Tahiri leaned back against the rock and gritted her teeth until she could get her breathing under control. "Tell Ender I'll be sorry to lose him as a consultant, if communication ends up being a problem, and you two look after each other, all right? It makes me feel a little better about this if you've got him there."
Ben
"Only for a year," Ben said. "He has his own things to get to, and no one deserves being exiled with someone else's dad for a decade."
Tahiri
"Assuming, between the three of you, you don't find the proof you need before then," Tahiri insisted stubbornly. "I'm not trying to imply you absolutely will, but your chances . . . I don't know, all right? I'm just glad you'll have someone."
Ben
He blew out a little breath. "Yeah. It's hard to look on the bright side right now, you know? I feel like I've been beaten up for the last week."
Tahiri
"Leave the bright side to me until you feel less bruised then?" Tahiri suggested, trying for a laugh and missing by about half a step.
Ben
"You fix me, I fix you," he murmured.
Tahiri
"That's right." Tahiri dug her free hand into the fabric of her jumpsuit and twisted. "Don't think you're getting out of that arrangement so easily."
Ben
"You'll always be one of my best friends," he murmured. "That's never going to change."
Tahiri
"It better not. See?" Tahiri tried to laugh again, and managed a tiny, shaky one this time. "It's not as if you're getting rid of me. In fact, don't think you could."
Ben
"I don't want to," Ben assured her. "Call a lot? Even if I can't get the transmission immediately?"
Tahiri
"Boy, are you lucky I can talk a lot, then," Tahiri told him. "You'll get sick of hearing from me before long, just watch."
Ben
"That'll never happen," Ben promised.
Tahiri
"I suppose," Tahiri said around another sniffle, "I shouldn't take that as a challenge this time, should I?"
Ben
"I'm going to be in the Jade Shadow with my father and Ender as my only source of entertainment," Ben said. "I won't care if you call every twenty minutes, though the cost might be a little prohibitive."
Tahiri
"You're taking your mom's ship?" Tahiri really couldn't keep herself from smiling this time; that seemed so fitting. "I'll try to keep the calls to a reasonable minimum. No more than once every standard hour and a half, how's that?"
Ben
"Perfect," Ben said quietly. "So I'll talk to you in an hour and a half, then?"
Not that he wanted to get off the call now. Or at all, ever.
Tahiri
Tahiri really, really wanted to say yes. It didn't seem like such a bad idea, even as a desperate sort of joke, but . . .
"We should probably ease into that schedule slowly."
Which was not her way of trying to end this call yet, either.
Ben
There was another pause, then, "Yeah. Probably. Ender is calling Karla right now. Can you make sure the word gets out to people who would care?"
Tahiri
"Absolutely. That ought to keep me busy for a bit," Tahiri said, failing hard at sounding flippant. "I'm sorry I won't actually get to see you again for . . . well . . . a while, you know."
Ben
Ben had been trying not to think about that part. "Yeah," he said softly. "Maybe a homecoming...some time?"
Tahiri
Tahiri wasn't enthusiastic about thinking about it either, but denial wouldn't do either of them any good now.
"Promise you'll save me a dance, whenever that is?"
Ben
"And we'll even dance it," Ben said quietly.
Tahiri
"We have to make up for all those dances we missed, after --" Tahiri's voice completely failed her there.
Ben
"Oh, Tahiri," he said brokenly. "I'm sorry."
Tahiri
It took Tahiri a few more seconds to remember how to talk.
"Sorry for what? That Daala's a --" The snarl didn't need to be translated; it sounded more than scornful enough. "No, don't be sorry, Ben. Not for something that wasn't your fault. I'm not going to have you carrying that around for Force knows how long."
Ben
He ran a shaky hand through his hair. "Okay."
Tahiri
"I mean it, Ben," Tahiri went on. "You helped me put myself back together after Anakin. I don't want anything like that to happen to you now, too. Not when we're supposed to fix each other."
Ben
"This wasn't what I'd pictured," he said softly.
Tahiri
"Yeah. Me neither," Tahiri admitted. "Not much we can do about it now, though."
Ben
He blew out a breath. "No point holding onto what isn't going to happen, huh."
She'd taught him that.
Tahiri
"You've met the other me," Tahiri said quietly. "So you know what happens when you do hold on."
Ben
"Yeah," he said softly, and then because he couldn't stand the tension between them, added, "shoes."
Tahiri
"All the time," Tahiri added. "Your poor dad -- stuck with you and your awful jokes."
Because hers were so much better.
Ben
"He'll love it," Ben said. "Ignore his screams for help."
Tahiri
"Never mind your dad," Tahiri decided. "Poor Ender."
Ben
"He's more used to the constant barrage of me thinking I'm funny," Ben said. "He'll be okay."
Tahiri
"Tell him hi for me?" Tahiri asked. "And your dad too."
Ben
"Of course," Ben said quickly, then tried to come up with something else to talk about.
He didn't want the call to be over yet.
Tahiri
Neither did Tahiri.
"How's other-me doing, do you know?"
Probably not the best of conversational topics, but it was something.
Ben
"She seems to be a bounty hunter now, but with integrity," Ben said. "I miss her."
Tahiri
"Ugh, a bounty hunter? How unoriginal," Tahiri complained. "That's Zekk's thing. At least she's free."
For now. As far as she knew.
Ben
"Zekk's snagged himself a Hapan," Ben said with a snicker.
Because clearly now was the best time ever to tell Tahiri gossip from home.
Tahiri
"Ben Skywalker," Tahiri blurted out through a choked giggle that actually felt really good, "you have to be making that up."
Ben
"She might be blind or attracted to people with really stupid hair?" he offered.
Tahiri
Not that Tahiri knew it, but hadn't she hit on Ben once?
Which was not commentary one way or the other on Zekk's current relationship.
"He's not that bad," Tahiri felt the need to defend him. "You'll check up on the other me when you can, right?"
Ben
"Of course," Ben said. "I don't think I count under Dad's restrictions for dealing with the Jedi, and she's not a Jedi anyway."
And he worried about all Tahiris. It was just a thing.
Tahiri
Tahiri could say she was disappointed in her future self, but turning Sith and torturing Ben was about as low as you could go in that direction anyway, so all things considered this wasn't that much of a letdown.
"That's probably a dumb question, isn't it?" she asked. "I hope she appreciates it as much as I can already promise you I will."
Ben
"I think she does," Ben said, "even if she probably sees me as a kid still."
Tahiri
"Considering what she was doing at her age, that's a little dumb of her," Tahiri said thoughtfully -- did it count as being hard on herself if it was a different version of herself? "But then, she doesn't know you like I do."
Ben
Ben's laugh was only a little forced. "And thank goodness for that."
Tahiri
"I'm just glad if one of us had the chance, it was this me," Tahiri said; it was more than a little inane, but she was willing to say just about anything to keep this conversation going as long as possible.
Ben
"Me too," Ben said, just as eager to keep the conversation going.
At least until he felt his father's presence getting closer to the apartment. "Sithspit," he breathed. "Dad's coming back from his meeting with the Masters. I have to go."
Tahiri
Funny how, for all she'd talked about knowing things would have to end and accepting the inevitability, she still wasn't prepared for this.
Tahiri didn't object out loud -- she wanted to, she really did, but she bit it back somehow. Instead she swallowed, hard, and shut her eyes as she nodded.
"Okay. You just -- don't forget to let me hear from you, all right?" she blurted out. "And for the Force's sake, don't go losing any limbs."
Ben
"I'll do my very best," Ben replied. "May the Force be with you, Tahiri."
And because he'd learned his lesson from losing his mom, added: "I love you."
Tahiri
"I love you too, Ben." Tahiri, who had learned that lesson the hard way too, was trying not to think about how that might be her last chance to say it, but the words came out emphatically anyway. "May the Force be with you, too."
She thought she was done, but just before she got ready to shut off the comlink she added one last, unmistakably affectionate:
"Skywalker."
It was meant to be as much an encouragement as it was an endearment; she hoped he got that.
Ben
And Ben recognized it as such, which was why he made sure the last sound she heard from him was the laughter it emitted rather than the rather pathetic, racking sobs that consumed him after he'd disconnected.
[OOC: Preplayed with the fantastically amazing weetuskenraider. Comes after this and during this. NFB, NFI. OOC is love.]
After ten solid minutes of staring at his comlink, he finally blew out a breath and punched in Tahiri's number (making sure to double check which one he was calling).
As he waited for her to pick up, he wasn't sure which option would be worse: telling her to her face, or leaving a message.
Tahiri
To say that Tahiri had a bad feeling about this call would be an understatement. Still, the comlink was in her hand the split second she heard it going off -- almost before it did -- as she hurried further up the beach, away from the sound of the waves.
"Tahiri here."
Absurdly, she thought that she really ought to get back into the habit of answering her calls more formally.
Ben
"Hey, it's me," Ben said quietly. "I'm, um, obviously, not back yet. How long has it been, anyway?"
Stall, Ben, stall.
Tahiri
Bad feeling: already validated. If that weren't par for the course, she'd be feeling a lot more worried right now.
"I'd noticed, yes," Tahiri replied. "It's only been a few days, though. Hardly any time at all. Something's going on, isn't it?"
Ben
There was a short pause, then, "Yeah. Dad's been exiled from Coruscant for the next ten years." His voice cracked at the last two words.
Tahiri
"Exiled?" Tahiri repeated, then lapsed into several moments of indignant, guttural sputtering in Tusken. A translation really wasn't necessary; her tone of voice said it all.
"Sithspawn, what the kriff for? No, you don't have to tell me if it risks too much about the timeline, but . . ." She shut her eyes for a moment. "It's stupid to ask if there's an easy way to fix that, isn't there?"
Ben
"No, because I've been asking that for the last week," Ben said, sounding a little defeated. "They basically found a legal way to convict him for not stopping Jacen from turning to the Dark Side."
Tahiri
For a moment, Tahiri wondered if that other version of her, and her stupid decisions, had added weight to the conviction; she decided not to add to Ben's problems by asking.
"Ten years. Khapet -- that can't be a good thing for the Order, Ben."
Ben
"He's not allowed contact with them," he said dully. "Kenth Hamner is taking his place as temporary--if ten years can be considered temporary--head of the Order." Ben ran his free hand through his hair. "The only way he gets this finished with early is if he proves to a tribunal set up by Daala that he's successfully proven what set Jacen off. And the Force only knows what proof that would take."
Tahiri
A tribunal set up by Natasi Daala? Tahiri let out a despairing little growl. From what she knew of the admiral already, that wasn't good.
"Let me guess," she said slowly. "You're not allowed to help him from wherever he's not, are you?"
Ben
"It wasn't specifically stated," Ben said, running the list of arrangements back through his mind, "but I'm going with him anyway. I can't not."
Tahiri
Tahiri's knees didn't actually give out under her, but for a very long moment she was convinced they would.
"You're going with him." For all that she'd talked about making the most of their time so they wouldn't regret it when it was over, because you never knew what might happen, the shock was still nearly physical. But she wasn't going to crumple, and she damned kriffing well wasn't going to let him hear her cry. "Starting now, I assume?"
Ben
"We have--" he glanced at his chrono, "--22 hours left on Coruscant. I'm so sorry, Tahiri." His voice cracked again. It had been a really long few days for him.
Tahiri
"Don't be sorry," Tahiri said vehemently -- a little too vehemently, but talking around the lump in her throat was hard.
She could feel sorry for herself; she could choose to resent that Ben had chosen to go with his father, because it would mean the second time someone she loved had made a choice, and the choice wasn't her.
Tahiri was a Jedi, though -- and a Yuuzhan Vong with a strong sense of family. There wasn't a chance in the nine Corellian hells of that.
"Dummy. Don't you understand I'm proud of you?"
Ben
"You are?" he whispered.
Tahiri
"Absolutely," Tahiri choked out. "He's your father, Ben, and he deserves so much better than this. Besides, with you and Ender both around, he's got the best possible chance of finding that proof he needs."
She swallowed, hard. "I'll miss you. I really will. But I expect you to do the right thing, Skywalker." There was an affectionate note to that last word, not to mention a touch of emphasis; she trusted he'd know what she implied by it.
Ben
"I am going to miss you so much," he murmured.
The shock was wearing off. This conversation was making it real. Ten years in a ship with his father starting in less than a day...and Ender would only be a buffer for them for a year.
He took a shuddering breath. "Tahiri--"
Tahiri
"Whatever you have to say, Ben, say it now," Tahiri said thickly, rubbing at her eyes with one hand; they were starting to sting, despite her best efforts. Ten years was a long time, whether or not you took into account whatever time variations might crop up between Fandom and his timeline, or hers; ten years was long past any amount of time she'd thought they might have left.
"Say it now, while you can. I'm not going to let you live with the weight of everything you wished you could have said while you had the chance."
Ben
"I love you," he blurted, "but there is no point in trying to keep this going, is there?"
That was among the most painful things he'd ever said aloud in his life.
Tahiri
And now was the point when Tahiri couldn't choke back a sob any more.
"No," she replied, wondering how one stupid, tiny, monosyllabic word could seem so awful. "No, I don't think there is."
If they'd had those last few months -- no, not thinking about that. Not because she was pretending to ignore reality; the reality was, there was no point.
Ben
Ben reminded himself that sobbing through a intergalactic call would be absolutely useless. He'd do that after he got off the comm.
"But we can still be friends?"
How the kriffing hells did he become this guy?
Tahiri
"Ben." She'd be laughing, if she felt like she could right now, but the best Tahiri could manage was a funny little crack in her voice and a desperate fallback to her unique brand of answering yes-or-no questions.
"Is Mon Cal extremely wet?"
Ben
That got a little laugh out of him. "I don't know how good the comms are going to be where we're headed," he said, "but I'll keep in touch as much as I can."
Tahiri
"You'd better," Tahiri answered with a sniffle. "Otherwise I'd send someone after you. And -- Ben?"
Ben
"Yes?" he asked, heart pounding painfully in his chest.
Tahiri
"I love you," Tahiri said, so emphatically it was almost vehement, but she wouldn't turn down the chance to say it when she could. "This isn't how we planned to end things, but . . ."
But again, when did anything ever go according to plan?
"I want you to know I'm still not sorry for a second of it."
Ben
Despite his best efforts, Ben was sniffling now.
"Me either," he told her just as vehemently.
Tahiri
"Good to know." Tahiri leaned back against the rock and gritted her teeth until she could get her breathing under control. "Tell Ender I'll be sorry to lose him as a consultant, if communication ends up being a problem, and you two look after each other, all right? It makes me feel a little better about this if you've got him there."
Ben
"Only for a year," Ben said. "He has his own things to get to, and no one deserves being exiled with someone else's dad for a decade."
Tahiri
"Assuming, between the three of you, you don't find the proof you need before then," Tahiri insisted stubbornly. "I'm not trying to imply you absolutely will, but your chances . . . I don't know, all right? I'm just glad you'll have someone."
Ben
He blew out a little breath. "Yeah. It's hard to look on the bright side right now, you know? I feel like I've been beaten up for the last week."
Tahiri
"Leave the bright side to me until you feel less bruised then?" Tahiri suggested, trying for a laugh and missing by about half a step.
Ben
"You fix me, I fix you," he murmured.
Tahiri
"That's right." Tahiri dug her free hand into the fabric of her jumpsuit and twisted. "Don't think you're getting out of that arrangement so easily."
Ben
"You'll always be one of my best friends," he murmured. "That's never going to change."
Tahiri
"It better not. See?" Tahiri tried to laugh again, and managed a tiny, shaky one this time. "It's not as if you're getting rid of me. In fact, don't think you could."
Ben
"I don't want to," Ben assured her. "Call a lot? Even if I can't get the transmission immediately?"
Tahiri
"Boy, are you lucky I can talk a lot, then," Tahiri told him. "You'll get sick of hearing from me before long, just watch."
Ben
"That'll never happen," Ben promised.
Tahiri
"I suppose," Tahiri said around another sniffle, "I shouldn't take that as a challenge this time, should I?"
Ben
"I'm going to be in the Jade Shadow with my father and Ender as my only source of entertainment," Ben said. "I won't care if you call every twenty minutes, though the cost might be a little prohibitive."
Tahiri
"You're taking your mom's ship?" Tahiri really couldn't keep herself from smiling this time; that seemed so fitting. "I'll try to keep the calls to a reasonable minimum. No more than once every standard hour and a half, how's that?"
Ben
"Perfect," Ben said quietly. "So I'll talk to you in an hour and a half, then?"
Not that he wanted to get off the call now. Or at all, ever.
Tahiri
Tahiri really, really wanted to say yes. It didn't seem like such a bad idea, even as a desperate sort of joke, but . . .
"We should probably ease into that schedule slowly."
Which was not her way of trying to end this call yet, either.
Ben
There was another pause, then, "Yeah. Probably. Ender is calling Karla right now. Can you make sure the word gets out to people who would care?"
Tahiri
"Absolutely. That ought to keep me busy for a bit," Tahiri said, failing hard at sounding flippant. "I'm sorry I won't actually get to see you again for . . . well . . . a while, you know."
Ben
Ben had been trying not to think about that part. "Yeah," he said softly. "Maybe a homecoming...some time?"
Tahiri
Tahiri wasn't enthusiastic about thinking about it either, but denial wouldn't do either of them any good now.
"Promise you'll save me a dance, whenever that is?"
Ben
"And we'll even dance it," Ben said quietly.
Tahiri
"We have to make up for all those dances we missed, after --" Tahiri's voice completely failed her there.
Ben
"Oh, Tahiri," he said brokenly. "I'm sorry."
Tahiri
It took Tahiri a few more seconds to remember how to talk.
"Sorry for what? That Daala's a --" The snarl didn't need to be translated; it sounded more than scornful enough. "No, don't be sorry, Ben. Not for something that wasn't your fault. I'm not going to have you carrying that around for Force knows how long."
Ben
He ran a shaky hand through his hair. "Okay."
Tahiri
"I mean it, Ben," Tahiri went on. "You helped me put myself back together after Anakin. I don't want anything like that to happen to you now, too. Not when we're supposed to fix each other."
Ben
"This wasn't what I'd pictured," he said softly.
Tahiri
"Yeah. Me neither," Tahiri admitted. "Not much we can do about it now, though."
Ben
He blew out a breath. "No point holding onto what isn't going to happen, huh."
She'd taught him that.
Tahiri
"You've met the other me," Tahiri said quietly. "So you know what happens when you do hold on."
Ben
"Yeah," he said softly, and then because he couldn't stand the tension between them, added, "shoes."
Tahiri
"All the time," Tahiri added. "Your poor dad -- stuck with you and your awful jokes."
Because hers were so much better.
Ben
"He'll love it," Ben said. "Ignore his screams for help."
Tahiri
"Never mind your dad," Tahiri decided. "Poor Ender."
Ben
"He's more used to the constant barrage of me thinking I'm funny," Ben said. "He'll be okay."
Tahiri
"Tell him hi for me?" Tahiri asked. "And your dad too."
Ben
"Of course," Ben said quickly, then tried to come up with something else to talk about.
He didn't want the call to be over yet.
Tahiri
Neither did Tahiri.
"How's other-me doing, do you know?"
Probably not the best of conversational topics, but it was something.
Ben
"She seems to be a bounty hunter now, but with integrity," Ben said. "I miss her."
Tahiri
"Ugh, a bounty hunter? How unoriginal," Tahiri complained. "That's Zekk's thing. At least she's free."
For now. As far as she knew.
Ben
"Zekk's snagged himself a Hapan," Ben said with a snicker.
Because clearly now was the best time ever to tell Tahiri gossip from home.
Tahiri
"Ben Skywalker," Tahiri blurted out through a choked giggle that actually felt really good, "you have to be making that up."
Ben
"She might be blind or attracted to people with really stupid hair?" he offered.
Tahiri
Not that Tahiri knew it, but hadn't she hit on Ben once?
Which was not commentary one way or the other on Zekk's current relationship.
"He's not that bad," Tahiri felt the need to defend him. "You'll check up on the other me when you can, right?"
Ben
"Of course," Ben said. "I don't think I count under Dad's restrictions for dealing with the Jedi, and she's not a Jedi anyway."
And he worried about all Tahiris. It was just a thing.
Tahiri
Tahiri could say she was disappointed in her future self, but turning Sith and torturing Ben was about as low as you could go in that direction anyway, so all things considered this wasn't that much of a letdown.
"That's probably a dumb question, isn't it?" she asked. "I hope she appreciates it as much as I can already promise you I will."
Ben
"I think she does," Ben said, "even if she probably sees me as a kid still."
Tahiri
"Considering what she was doing at her age, that's a little dumb of her," Tahiri said thoughtfully -- did it count as being hard on herself if it was a different version of herself? "But then, she doesn't know you like I do."
Ben
Ben's laugh was only a little forced. "And thank goodness for that."
Tahiri
"I'm just glad if one of us had the chance, it was this me," Tahiri said; it was more than a little inane, but she was willing to say just about anything to keep this conversation going as long as possible.
Ben
"Me too," Ben said, just as eager to keep the conversation going.
At least until he felt his father's presence getting closer to the apartment. "Sithspit," he breathed. "Dad's coming back from his meeting with the Masters. I have to go."
Tahiri
Funny how, for all she'd talked about knowing things would have to end and accepting the inevitability, she still wasn't prepared for this.
Tahiri didn't object out loud -- she wanted to, she really did, but she bit it back somehow. Instead she swallowed, hard, and shut her eyes as she nodded.
"Okay. You just -- don't forget to let me hear from you, all right?" she blurted out. "And for the Force's sake, don't go losing any limbs."
Ben
"I'll do my very best," Ben replied. "May the Force be with you, Tahiri."
And because he'd learned his lesson from losing his mom, added: "I love you."
Tahiri
"I love you too, Ben." Tahiri, who had learned that lesson the hard way too, was trying not to think about how that might be her last chance to say it, but the words came out emphatically anyway. "May the Force be with you, too."
She thought she was done, but just before she got ready to shut off the comlink she added one last, unmistakably affectionate:
"Skywalker."
It was meant to be as much an encouragement as it was an endearment; she hoped he got that.
Ben
And Ben recognized it as such, which was why he made sure the last sound she heard from him was the laughter it emitted rather than the rather pathetic, racking sobs that consumed him after he'd disconnected.
[OOC: Preplayed with the fantastically amazing weetuskenraider. Comes after this and during this. NFB, NFI. OOC is love.]