Rover- Friday Fandom time
Jaina hadn't planned to be in the Hapes Consortium at all, but apparently she had to either get her parents, or Tenel Ka out of trouble.
She'd been lucky enough to be able to resign her commission with the military rather than go through the whole process of a court-martial, and then she'd simply returned to the Jedi- with Zekk, of course- to do her work there instead. Jaina and Zekk had been assigned to a Jedi reconnaissance team spying on the Corellians, but that had led to them discovering the Falcon headed to Hapes. Hapes also seemed to be in collusion with the Corellians, but Admiral Bwu'atu seemed to think that they were in fact going to try and overthrow Tenel Ka because she supported the Alliance, because nothing these days could ever be simple anymore. Without any idea what Han and Leia were doing there at a very suspicious time, Bwu'atu had sent Zekk and Jaina along to Hapes to warn the Queen Mother that there might be an attack against her.
Which meant, of course, that there was an attack against her. Zekk and Jaina had just barely missed out on it, but they'd given enough warning for Tenel Ka to be prepared. And then Tenel Ka had sent them on a brief mission, which had led to nearly getting bombed, which had led to being picked up by a GAG ship... and none other than Ben.
Stang, but Jaina wanted to get him away from Jacen.
There was some downtime aboard Rover when they got aboard, and both Zekk and Jaina needed to get cleaned up and get some rest, but since they'd been on Hapes she hadn't been happy about his attitude. He'd been all but ignoring her, which never happened. So before he could disappear into his quarters, she caught his arm, surprising him into turning him around and looking at her. "Okay, I've had it," she said. "Whatever's kinking your air hose, get over it."
He yanked his arm away, but he wasn't angry. He was actually really calm. "I think I am over it."
"Good," Jaina said automatically, then realized she had no idea what he was talking about. That made her more uneasy than his behavior did. She was used to just knowing what he meant. "Over what, exactly?"
"Jaina, stop," Zekk said. "You don't do coy very well."
First time she'd ever been accused of that. "Coy? Zekk, I don't know what you're talking about. I really don't."
"Come on, we're not that un-Joined." He studied her, still not believing that she was completely in the dark about this. "You've wanted this for years. Stop hiding from it."
He couldn't really go anywhere in the corridor besides his quarters, and in the second it took for him to turn to go into them, she thought back to when this started. Which happened to be shortly after they'd arrived at the Fountain Palace and been told that her parents were suspected of being involved in a coup attempt.
Zekk had tried to comfort her, suggesting that assassination just was not her parents' style, and she had snapped at him. He had stalked off to the other side of the room, and though he had continued to defend her parents to Tenel Ka and Prince Isolder, he'd ignored Jaina herself.
"By the Force! Is that what this is about? What I said in the sitting room?" she asked. "I was worried about my parents! You can't hold that against me."
"I don't," Zekk replied. "I just finally realized what..." He caught himself and softened his tone. "Look, Jaina, I just realized that you've been right all along. We're better as friends than we would ever be as lovers. I know you've been saying it for years, but I guess part of me really didn't believe it until now."
Jaina stood in stunned silence for a moment. There had been several points in their relationship where things had been... uncomfortable, at best. They'd started going up and back with this when she was only fourteen, and by the time Jaina was old enough and mature enough to know how to go about making anything happen, she wasn't interested in doing so anymore. The same hadn't been true for Zekk, though, and he'd spent years in love with her while she fully knew it and couldn't do anything to change his mind. She'd gotten downright hurtful at times so that maybe he'd get the point and move on. So this was a good thing. It was definitely best for him, and it was what she'd wanted for a long time.
It didn't feel great now that it had finally happened, though. She hadn't expected that. She was relieved, but who wanted to be told that someone didn't want you anymore?
"It's about time," she said finally, rallying. "Now maybe I can stop waiting until you're asleep to take my sanisteams."
Apparently having said it, Zekk felt better, because he actually laughed. "It didn't work, anyway. I kept having these dreams..."
"You did?" she gasped. "And you didn't say anything?"
Zekk shrugged and flashed an embarrassed grin. "I thought they were just... well, dreams."
Jaina started to accept his explanation, then had the sudden realization that he was mocking her. And then she understood why this bothered her: she felt like she was losing her best friend. She was only now understanding that she couldn't read him like she used to after years of finishing each other's sentences and sharing thoughts, and now the dynamic had changed without her knowing about it. On top of everything else lately...
But being Jaina, she couldn't admit when something was bothering her, especially when she didn't want to actually make him think she wanted him to still be interested in her. So she responded to his comment by playfully punching him in the shoulder. "Liar! Go take your sanisteam."
"Sure," Zekk chuckled. "That's what I've been trying to do."
[NFB, NFI, OOC okay. I swear to god I am doing this Differently Than Canon, don't hit me. Dialogue from Tempest by Troy Denning, though I had to rework bits.]
She'd been lucky enough to be able to resign her commission with the military rather than go through the whole process of a court-martial, and then she'd simply returned to the Jedi- with Zekk, of course- to do her work there instead. Jaina and Zekk had been assigned to a Jedi reconnaissance team spying on the Corellians, but that had led to them discovering the Falcon headed to Hapes. Hapes also seemed to be in collusion with the Corellians, but Admiral Bwu'atu seemed to think that they were in fact going to try and overthrow Tenel Ka because she supported the Alliance, because nothing these days could ever be simple anymore. Without any idea what Han and Leia were doing there at a very suspicious time, Bwu'atu had sent Zekk and Jaina along to Hapes to warn the Queen Mother that there might be an attack against her.
Which meant, of course, that there was an attack against her. Zekk and Jaina had just barely missed out on it, but they'd given enough warning for Tenel Ka to be prepared. And then Tenel Ka had sent them on a brief mission, which had led to nearly getting bombed, which had led to being picked up by a GAG ship... and none other than Ben.
Stang, but Jaina wanted to get him away from Jacen.
There was some downtime aboard Rover when they got aboard, and both Zekk and Jaina needed to get cleaned up and get some rest, but since they'd been on Hapes she hadn't been happy about his attitude. He'd been all but ignoring her, which never happened. So before he could disappear into his quarters, she caught his arm, surprising him into turning him around and looking at her. "Okay, I've had it," she said. "Whatever's kinking your air hose, get over it."
He yanked his arm away, but he wasn't angry. He was actually really calm. "I think I am over it."
"Good," Jaina said automatically, then realized she had no idea what he was talking about. That made her more uneasy than his behavior did. She was used to just knowing what he meant. "Over what, exactly?"
"Jaina, stop," Zekk said. "You don't do coy very well."
First time she'd ever been accused of that. "Coy? Zekk, I don't know what you're talking about. I really don't."
"Come on, we're not that un-Joined." He studied her, still not believing that she was completely in the dark about this. "You've wanted this for years. Stop hiding from it."
He couldn't really go anywhere in the corridor besides his quarters, and in the second it took for him to turn to go into them, she thought back to when this started. Which happened to be shortly after they'd arrived at the Fountain Palace and been told that her parents were suspected of being involved in a coup attempt.
Zekk had tried to comfort her, suggesting that assassination just was not her parents' style, and she had snapped at him. He had stalked off to the other side of the room, and though he had continued to defend her parents to Tenel Ka and Prince Isolder, he'd ignored Jaina herself.
"By the Force! Is that what this is about? What I said in the sitting room?" she asked. "I was worried about my parents! You can't hold that against me."
"I don't," Zekk replied. "I just finally realized what..." He caught himself and softened his tone. "Look, Jaina, I just realized that you've been right all along. We're better as friends than we would ever be as lovers. I know you've been saying it for years, but I guess part of me really didn't believe it until now."
Jaina stood in stunned silence for a moment. There had been several points in their relationship where things had been... uncomfortable, at best. They'd started going up and back with this when she was only fourteen, and by the time Jaina was old enough and mature enough to know how to go about making anything happen, she wasn't interested in doing so anymore. The same hadn't been true for Zekk, though, and he'd spent years in love with her while she fully knew it and couldn't do anything to change his mind. She'd gotten downright hurtful at times so that maybe he'd get the point and move on. So this was a good thing. It was definitely best for him, and it was what she'd wanted for a long time.
It didn't feel great now that it had finally happened, though. She hadn't expected that. She was relieved, but who wanted to be told that someone didn't want you anymore?
"It's about time," she said finally, rallying. "Now maybe I can stop waiting until you're asleep to take my sanisteams."
Apparently having said it, Zekk felt better, because he actually laughed. "It didn't work, anyway. I kept having these dreams..."
"You did?" she gasped. "And you didn't say anything?"
Zekk shrugged and flashed an embarrassed grin. "I thought they were just... well, dreams."
Jaina started to accept his explanation, then had the sudden realization that he was mocking her. And then she understood why this bothered her: she felt like she was losing her best friend. She was only now understanding that she couldn't read him like she used to after years of finishing each other's sentences and sharing thoughts, and now the dynamic had changed without her knowing about it. On top of everything else lately...
But being Jaina, she couldn't admit when something was bothering her, especially when she didn't want to actually make him think she wanted him to still be interested in her. So she responded to his comment by playfully punching him in the shoulder. "Liar! Go take your sanisteam."
"Sure," Zekk chuckled. "That's what I've been trying to do."
[NFB, NFI, OOC okay. I swear to god I am doing this Differently Than Canon, don't hit me. Dialogue from Tempest by Troy Denning, though I had to rework bits.]