IC Contact

[oratorical]

Crystal || Delivery || In Person

Make a note to specify whichever you want

Comments

[captainscruffy]

Some kind of...of...ex-boyfriend of yours is sending me mail! What am I supposed to say?

[NO HAN THAT'S NOT ANY BETTER OF A RESPONSE. nor does the way he's gesturing at the paper like it's the plans to the freaking death star help at all.]

[oratorical]

[It's not much better of a response, but there's less bellowing directly at her, so for now she'll take it. And while there's still some of that annoyance present, most of it has given way to confusion at what Han has to say. She shakes her head, finally picking up the scraps of paper, but not yet looking at them.]

There's no ex-boyfriend of mine here.

[as far as she knows anyway. If there is, he hasn't made himself known. She's about to look at the note, before she glances back at Han.]

Don't tell me you're jealous?

[captainscruffy]

Jealous?

[he scoffs, now looking more offended than anything.]

Jealous ain't the word, sweetheart, I'm just tryin' to figure out whose ass I need to kick.

[having thus protected his own fragile ego, he continues at a low grumble:]

Jabba the Hutt, as if. I'll show him a man to man...

[oratorical]

It's a good thing you're not jealous, so I don't have to waste time telling you how pointless it would be.

[it's said lightly, despite the fact that it's 100% true and she feels that Han should already know that. Whether or not he actually is jealous. But it's that mumbled "Jabba the Hutt" that has her finally giving in and reading the torn paper.]

You'll no doubt be relieved to hear that I doubt Jabba considers me a friend.

[but that joking aside--]

I have an idea who wrote it, however.

[captainscruffy]

All right, who?

[forget talking about being jealous, which he clearly isn't, let's get to the good stuff.]

[oratorical]

[She pauses for a moment before actually responding, debating whether she actually should say or not, without getting a reassurance from Han that he won't go bellow at Ezra or something. But, he seems much calmer now than originally, so she decides it's as okay as it probably ever would be.]

His name is Ezra Bridger. He just arrived this month.

[captainscruffy]

Okay, why is he sendin' me this crap?

[he has calmed down a bit, and although the question is offered through gritted teeth, even han is wise enough not to question the the claim of "no ex-boyfriends" in town. although he does have some burning questions.]

[oratorical]

I can't claim to know why he sent it.

[because really, though she's not as mad about it or anything like Han happens to be, she's a bit surprised he took the effort to send a note like this to Han in the first place.]

But, he may have heard of your habit of using the crystal at inopportune times.

[captainscruffy]

[han's jaw drops, a whole new line of indignation entering his mind.]

I knew it, I knew you were complainin' to people about me! Leia!

[oratorical]

Like you complained about the pajamas you picked out for me? And I wasn't complaining. I was taking the initiative to apologize for you, since you can't be bothered to do it yourself.

[There's a difference. A very slight difference, but a difference nonetheless.]

Besides, he was more interested in how we met than anything.

[captainscruffy]

Yeah, and you didn't get any freakin' form letters? Who is this guy?

[han is so bewildered by all this. he didn't do anything to deserve this, why is it happening to him.]

[oratorical]

Like he said, he's a friend.

[She may not know him too well, but still a friend.]

We met on Lothal around six years ago, but I haven't seen him since.

[captainscruffy]

Lothal?

[he throws his hands up, confounded all over again.]

You got friends in Lothal? Kinda on the fringe, ain't it, not to mention the whole Imperial thing. You tryin' to tell me this guy's some kind of Rebel contact?

[oratorical]

That's exactly what he is, actually.

[Congrats, Han, in your confusion, you stumbled on the right answer.]

I was on Lothal to provide ships to members of the Rebellion in the area. Or to be more exact, to provide ships for the Rebellion to steal. Alderaan couldn't openly support the Rebellion, but there's nothing we could do about our ships being stolen and used by Rebels.

[captainscruffy]

[and since it's han, trust him to skip right over the actual useful information to:]

Great, some kind of Rebel hotshot that's holdin' a candle for you. Well, I'll take him any day, because--you know--

[he scratches the top of his head, a nervous gesture born from the fact that his brain caught up with his mouth in time to realize he's getting dangerously close to accusing her of something, so he finishes up with a lame substitution of what he had originally planned on saying.]

Uh, because he's not the boss of me.

[oratorical]

[She recognizes that lame substitution for what it is. It'd be hard not to, honestly, even if she didn't know Han as well as she does now. And so, she sighs, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows almost as if she's challenging him.]

You'll "take him any day, because" what, exactly?

[captainscruffy]

[han's expression wavers as he tries to decide how much trouble he's in, but in the end he settles for his "bullshitting an imperial officer" face as he plants his hands on his hips.]

Because he's definitely not the boss of me.

[YEP, JUST STICK WITH THAT STORY. IT'LL WORK.]

[oratorical]

[see, the trouble with the "bullshitting an imperial officer" face is that not only does Leia know that expression, it also doesn't work on her. In response, he gets her best "that's bullshit, imperial officer" face. Because she's not buying that story.]

Han.

[captainscruffy]

[this, of course, provokes a defensive reaction from han, who is beginning to look a little tense.]

What, I can't show a guy where to shove it when he's stickin' his nose in my business?

[at least he doesn't know that ezra is training to be a jedi yet, that would really give him an inferiority complex.]

[oratorical]

He's fifteen.

[or somewhere around there. But she didn't mention it before because it's not entirely important, as far as Leia sees it.]

And the only Rebel hotshot whose advances I'm interested in happens to be standing in this room, making a big deal out of something I've already explained. So tell me what's actually bothering you.

[captainscruffy]

[han's expression shutters between extreme annoyance--because she could have given that detail out to begin with and saved him a lot of stress--and a genuinely pleased smile, because hey, when it comes to flattery pretty much anything works on him when it's coming out of leia's mouth. after a couple of seconds he realizes that he's not going to be able to sufficiently repress his goofy smile, so he ducks his head to complain.]

You, you could have said that to begin with. That was low.

[oratorical]

I don't see how it matters. I told you to begin with that there aren't any ex-boyfriends of mine here.

[she gives him a pointed look with that, because even if Ezra were 25 instead of 15, it wouldn't change anything. At least as far as Leia is concerned. It wouldn't matter much to her if those feelings were there on his end, because there's no chance of her actually returning them, since for some reason, she loves the idiot standing in front of her, as thick-headed and insecure as he may be.]

Are you going to answer my question?

[captainscruffy]

[in lieu of an immediate answer han abruptly decides to join her on the couch, sitting down next to her and even putting his arm around her. testing her earlier offer that he's free to bug her for physical affection anytime, perhaps? or maybe he's just feeling possessive at the moment.]

If some schmuck's got his eye on you, I should know about it, right? I gotta, you know, defend your honor.

[which is an extremely roundabout way of saying he needs to scope any potential competition and make sure they're not a better catch than he is. god forbid somebody like luke come along, being more conventionally attractive without the minor detail of being related to her. it'd be a nightmare for han.]

[oratorical]

[As he puts his arm around her, Leia leans in toward him, but not close enough that she can't still turn her head and look at him directly. Because his response isn't something she wants to hear. She knows he's not the cocky, self-assured persona he puts on around near everyone, but any insecurity here she would thought was long gone, erased by the knowledge that the two of them have a child in the future. ...However much a mess that child may be.]

I can defend my own honor. And you have nothing to worry about as it is.

[captainscruffy]

Who's worried?

[aside from, you know, han. obviously. but the way she keeps picking at it is making him regret his initial angry outburst, if only because he hates admitting that he thinks she could do better.]

Your dinky kid friend can worry about the talk we're gonna have if I ever track him down, maybe.