Eclipse, Sunday Fandom time
There was a lot to do at the base, which was something Jaina was very used to. It did worry her, however, when Han dragged John off for some menial labor and what she suspected was probable interrogation. She was sure John could handle himself, though, and it did give her time to talk to Mara alone.
Mara
After a while of skipping the small talk, Mara nodded towards Ben, currently sleeping in Jaina's arms, and said, "I can take him."
Jaina
"Nah, it's okay," Jaina assured her. "I don't get enough time to do the cousin thing. He might be walking next time I see him." Besides, there was something oddly soothing about spending time with a tiny little person like this, as long as they weren't crying. Then she'd pass him over.
Mara
She fixed Jaina with a look she'd gotten very good at over the last few years, when she knew there was something that wasn't being said. "How's everything been?"
Jaina
"It's been okay. I'm keeping busy," Jaina said. "You'll be happy to know Grandfather's off the island for the summer and not being a bad influence on me."
Mara
"I'm thrilled to hear that." No, she really, really was.
Jaina
"And Luke says hi."
Mara
"You love bringing that up, don't you?" Mara said dryly.
Jaina
"Yes. But he did say it," Jaina said honestly. "I already told him hi back for you. A lot of my time lately has been spent training, or the island's been moving every couple weeks, so I'm trying to see some of it and make sure I know where I actually am."
Mara
She almost asked about the moving island, but Anakin Skywalker's presence there was much more confusing to her on a general level, so she was just going to go with it. "What sort of training are you doing?" she asked, mostly out of curiosity rather than to check on her.
Jaina
"I've been spending a lot of time in the gym and the salle. If I can pull my weight against three remotes, I can get in on a certain simulation," Jaina explained. "And then we have a flight simulator I have the key to, and Wedge has been sending me updates and their newer sim programs so I can keep sharp. I try to do something every day."
Mara
Mara frowned slightly. "You do realize that's more than most people here put themselves through, and we're under pretty constant threat of problems."
Jaina
"If I'm going to be there, I should be doing something, right? That's why I went in the first place," she pointed out.
Mara
She'd known something was up. "Okay, what's going on?"
Jaina
Jaina didn't see much of a point in insisting nothing was wrong, since it wasn't true and she was going to find out somehow anyway. "I'm starting to feel really guilty about being there when people are fighting and dying out here," she admitted. "Like I'm more suited to be here."
Mara
"Then come back here," Mara said simply.
And in the long pause that followed, she asked, "Then why do you stay? John?"
Jaina
The pause was shorter this time. "I don't know. It might not be a problem, except where it is. I know, I know," she said, but that was a bigger issue she didn't really feel like discussing now. "When I'm back here, I put my all into it. Even blinded I was trying to help out. I just know I could be doing more here, and yet I keep going back."
Jaina thought it was a testament to how much better she'd gotten at control that she could still feel things so strongly and yet Ben wasn't even stirring. She'd pat herself on the back for that later.
Mara
"You're not ready to be back here," Mara said bluntly. "You're not hurting anything by staying there. You're still on leave with Rogue Squadron, other Jedi can be sent out on missions, and the second we call you to help, you come running. And I can say without breaking any confidences that your parents are much happier to not have their daughter where the enemy shoots at her all day." And it was sort of noticeable that this was the first time in a long time Jaina's focus wasn't on fighting something. That wasn't a bad thing.
Jaina
Jaina frowned. "Why does it make more sense when you say it?"
Mara
"Because I've had more experience at being an adult than you have," Mara answered immediately.
Jaina
"You know, you sound more and more like a mom every time I talk to you now," Jaina told her, and thought Mara looked just a little more pleased hearing that.
[NFB, NFI, yadda yadda. John modded with permission.]
Mara
After a while of skipping the small talk, Mara nodded towards Ben, currently sleeping in Jaina's arms, and said, "I can take him."
Jaina
"Nah, it's okay," Jaina assured her. "I don't get enough time to do the cousin thing. He might be walking next time I see him." Besides, there was something oddly soothing about spending time with a tiny little person like this, as long as they weren't crying. Then she'd pass him over.
Mara
She fixed Jaina with a look she'd gotten very good at over the last few years, when she knew there was something that wasn't being said. "How's everything been?"
Jaina
"It's been okay. I'm keeping busy," Jaina said. "You'll be happy to know Grandfather's off the island for the summer and not being a bad influence on me."
Mara
"I'm thrilled to hear that." No, she really, really was.
Jaina
"And Luke says hi."
Mara
"You love bringing that up, don't you?" Mara said dryly.
Jaina
"Yes. But he did say it," Jaina said honestly. "I already told him hi back for you. A lot of my time lately has been spent training, or the island's been moving every couple weeks, so I'm trying to see some of it and make sure I know where I actually am."
Mara
She almost asked about the moving island, but Anakin Skywalker's presence there was much more confusing to her on a general level, so she was just going to go with it. "What sort of training are you doing?" she asked, mostly out of curiosity rather than to check on her.
Jaina
"I've been spending a lot of time in the gym and the salle. If I can pull my weight against three remotes, I can get in on a certain simulation," Jaina explained. "And then we have a flight simulator I have the key to, and Wedge has been sending me updates and their newer sim programs so I can keep sharp. I try to do something every day."
Mara
Mara frowned slightly. "You do realize that's more than most people here put themselves through, and we're under pretty constant threat of problems."
Jaina
"If I'm going to be there, I should be doing something, right? That's why I went in the first place," she pointed out.
Mara
She'd known something was up. "Okay, what's going on?"
Jaina
Jaina didn't see much of a point in insisting nothing was wrong, since it wasn't true and she was going to find out somehow anyway. "I'm starting to feel really guilty about being there when people are fighting and dying out here," she admitted. "Like I'm more suited to be here."
Mara
"Then come back here," Mara said simply.
And in the long pause that followed, she asked, "Then why do you stay? John?"
Jaina
The pause was shorter this time. "I don't know. It might not be a problem, except where it is. I know, I know," she said, but that was a bigger issue she didn't really feel like discussing now. "When I'm back here, I put my all into it. Even blinded I was trying to help out. I just know I could be doing more here, and yet I keep going back."
Jaina thought it was a testament to how much better she'd gotten at control that she could still feel things so strongly and yet Ben wasn't even stirring. She'd pat herself on the back for that later.
Mara
"You're not ready to be back here," Mara said bluntly. "You're not hurting anything by staying there. You're still on leave with Rogue Squadron, other Jedi can be sent out on missions, and the second we call you to help, you come running. And I can say without breaking any confidences that your parents are much happier to not have their daughter where the enemy shoots at her all day." And it was sort of noticeable that this was the first time in a long time Jaina's focus wasn't on fighting something. That wasn't a bad thing.
Jaina
Jaina frowned. "Why does it make more sense when you say it?"
Mara
"Because I've had more experience at being an adult than you have," Mara answered immediately.
Jaina
"You know, you sound more and more like a mom every time I talk to you now," Jaina told her, and thought Mara looked just a little more pleased hearing that.
[NFB, NFI, yadda yadda. John modded with permission.]