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Ben's isn't too close to yours, so...

[he shrugs, apparently not that concerned about it.]

Maybe I should just ask him. He must've had at least one pass since he's been here.

[She wants to say something about how she could ask Ben, and how she probably would ask regardless, but--with a slight pang of jealousy--she realizes he's far more likely to tell Han than her. But that's not something she wants to share, so she just nods. Because more important than being jealous of Han's relationship with their son--which is a good thing, she's happy that Ben talks with him--is finding out more about Ben in general.]

I think that's a good idea.

[And just as important--]

What about you?

[he blinks at her, somehow not quite getting what she means.]

I said, I'll just ask him.

[he says it uncertainly, like, he just told her what he would do, why does she need to know again? the idea that she might be asking after his birthday does not even occur to him.]

[she furrows her brow at first, before it dawns on her that they're having two separate conversations between her question and his answer. Realization creeps into her expression, and Leia regards Han for a moment before continuing, this time deciding to be more clear with her question.]

What I meant was, you and Chewie never celebrated any birthdays when it was just the two of you?

Oh. Uh, no, actually. Chewie's a little old for all that, y'know?

[he scratches at the back of his neck, feeling a little sheepish that he missed the point that badly.]

It might be hard to fit that many candles on a cake.

[his response, immediately jumping to Chewie rather than his own birthday, is telling. It's not as though she assumed he put much importance on his birthday, given what she knew of his early life. It's more that her suspicions are confirmed, that he's either just not interested in it or that he doesn't know when his is.]

Did you ever want to?

[celebrate, that is.]

[he shrugs and turns his attention to the oven, ostensibly checking on the cake but more realistically stalling as he begins to wonder if he's going to get roped into some kind of celebration himself.]

I never really saw the point. Don't even know the proper day for it, for one thing.

[he grunts out the answer as casually as possible, fiddling with the stove so he doesn't have to see her face. it's more awkward to talk about this than he expected it would be, or maybe that's just because he was just grumbling about natsume's similar attitude.]

[And there it is, the answer she expected to hear, especially after everything he'd already said at this point. It's no surprise that Han doesn't know when his birthday would be, it's more that... as sad as it is, in a way, it's nice to have that confirmation.

He may not be looking at her, but her attention stays on him while he's messing with the stove as if trying to guess what he's thinking.]

You must have had one at some point since we've been here.

[Her tone is gentle, not wanting to put him on the spot or make him more uncomfortable than he seems to already be.]

Technically, sure.

[disappointingly, the cake is not ready to come out of the oven yet, so he turns back to her as he tries to think of something else he can do with his hands to make him look more casual about this.]

Had a couple back home, too. It ain't a big deal.

[he'll just.......wipe his hands with a towel. that's a manly thing that men do.]

[Casual or obviously not casual, Leia won't call him out on that, not at the moment. She doesn't want him to get defensive, not just because it'd ruin both of their moods, but also because it'd ruin Natsume's cake. No one wins when Han and Leia argue.]

It doesn't have to be a big deal. What you did for me and Luke last year was perfect.

[And what he's in the middle of doing for Natsume this year.]

[he finally decides it's safe to give her his full attention again, offering her a gentle smirk.]

So you want an excuse for more cake, huh? Should've known.

[That just gets Leia to roll her eyes, the awkward atmosphere effectively gone, as far as she can tell, from that one quip.]

For your birthday, I'd have to make the cake. I'd be the one doing the hard work.

[Which is to say, if she just wanted more cake, she'd just buy it. Less work that way.]

A princess baking, that's something I'd like to see.

[the danger of her throwing a party for him or something seems to have passed, so he feels safe enough to continue teasing her about it.]

It's no more shocking than a scoundrel like you baking a cake. When did you pick this talent up?

[sure, he's done it before, and sure, he's insisted he knows how to cook before, but it's still surprising to see Han Solo of all people baking a cake.]

I know how to follow instructions, I can do that with the best of'em.

[and just like that he's indignant. cake is just, you know, mixing up a few things. no big deal.]

You know how to follow instructions.

[in spite of his indignation, Leia just sounds absolutely amused by that assertion. Sure, he can follow instructions when he wants to, but it's that wanting to part that's always been the problem.]

I have a lot of experience that would disagree with that.

[han lifts his chin and sniffs at her, clearly unimpressed.]

I know how to follow instructions when they're worth following.

[Leia rolls her eyes and purposely bumps her shoulder against him, in some sort of mock-chiding gesture.]

And the instructions for baking a cake are the ones you deem worth following?

Yeah, 'cause if you don't follow them, the cake don't set right.

[ooh, he even knows the terminology. perhaps he did some research prior to luke and leia's birthday?]

[he either did research or the Falcon was an intergalactic bakery when they weren't smuggling, so Leia is leaning toward the "he did research" side.]

I had no idea you were such a knowledgeable baker. Your talents are being wasted, clearly.

[but for all her teasing, she finds it endearing that he's looked up that much about baking initially for her and Luke's sake.]

[the first idea is just preposterous. where would they find a chewie-sized hair net??]

You're bein' real cute.

[is his eye-rolling response as he takes the cake from the oven, and no, that does not in any way prove her teasing point. it is a perfectly nice-looking cake, not bakery quality or anything, but it's cake shaped and it smells good.]

It's still gotta cool down...this stuff takes forever.

[cake shaped and good smelling (and presumably good tasting) are all you really need, and Leia deems it more than passable as she inspects the results so far.]

It smells good.

[which is obvious, but well. No point in not saying it]

How long do we need to wait before we can frost it?

Ten, fifteen minutes? [he shrugs lazily.] If you do it too fast the icing will melt.

[something he probably knows from experience, honestly. he waves the towel over it like a fan, absently, as he talks to her.]

How do you think "Takashi" is spelled? I figured maybe if I sounded it out whatever magically translates stuff would pick up the slack.

[That. Is a good question. And even more, making sure it's actually spelled correctly in another language, rather than in Aurebesh. Sure, they could write it in that anyway and Natsume could manage to read it somehow, but... it's probably better to see if they can't make it easier on him.

She furrows her brow, trying to work out how they would spell "Takashi." Even after a year or so, it's still hard to try and figure out how to write in a different language through the translator. Reading is one thing, but writing is another.]

Do you think he'd mind whether it's in Aurebesh or the alphabet used here?

D'you think he even knows the local alphabet? If not it won't make a difference either way.

[still fanning the cake, like an old granny in the kitchen.]

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