oratorical | IC Contact

[oh no, he's totally not biased in any way at all.]

I think you've mentioned it before. What's that droid like?

Mm...a little overbearing, I guess...but he does whatever I say.

[much to leia's mild annoyance, honestly, but han feels better if there's a droid at home to hover over her when he's not there. especially when she was still pregnant.]

[it's the "does whatever I say" that gets Leia to roll her eyes. She can already feel how annoying this droid must be. Not that it's the droid's fault. It can't help its programming.]

I'm starting to believe I've been cursed to live with overbearing droids.

[this droid, the droids at the palace, 3PO. They're all pretty overbearing.]

But at least he listens to someone. The droid I grew up with, she wouldn't allow me to sit near the window during thunderstorms because she thought it violated her safety programming. She never listened when I told her there was no real danger involved.

Well, [and yep, just from the way he draws that one word out leia can know she's about to get a good old fashioned teasing,] you could be struck by lightning or something, couldn't you? I gotta agree with the droid on that one. Better safe than sorry when it comes to Your Highness.

[Oh she already knows she's in for something ridiculous as soon as he starts on that "well." Leia huffs, rolling her eyes in response, because that's really the only way to react.]

I suppose that means you'll be trading in the Hawk for a newer, safer model, then? Better safe than sorry, after all.

Not so fast! I'll have you know that smugglers are held to much different standards than princesses.

[ah yes, his ace in the hole. being a criminal.]

And what about smugglers that want princesses on their ships?

[unless those ships are meant as a no princess zone or something like that.]

Though those older models do have their uses.

I'll be there to keep you safe, so you don't have to worry about that. I'm much more efficient than any droid, too.

[and, you know, it feels really good to be able to tease her like this without her totally shutting down on him.]

I know.

[which, as a brief break from the gentle teasing, is an entirely honest, genuine response. If there's anywhere in the galaxy--here or back home--she can feel safe and comfortable, it's when she's with Han, because she trusts him and his abilities completely.

But it's back to teasing after that.]

I think poor TooVee might have disagreed, though, even only on principle. She'd say you're far too scruffy to protect some more reliably than her. But you know, it's funny; had things been different, we might have had the chance to find out.

[find out how much a droid with a programming that valued nice fancy clothing and proper behavior would've reacted to Han, that is.]

I think I like you exactly the way things did happen.

[a sentence that would not have made sense before this whole debacle they just got through with, but is said now with genuine affection.]

Fussy droid along for the ride or not, eh?

[he's assuming she means there's a chance that droid could have ended up with her on the rebel base but didn't, it seems.]

[a convoluted sentence, yes, but Leia fully understands what he means. And rather than saying she agrees (because both Han and Luke were the best things that could've happened after the Death Star, and she needed the both of them in her life after that), Leia places a light, affectionate kiss on his cheek. She figures that says everything she wants or needs to say on the matter.]

We almost met three years before all that. If someone hadn't taken off before I could reach his sufficiently scruffy-looking ship, I wonder what would've happened.

Me?

[he asks, as though it wasn't completely obvious. he's surprised, okay, especially since she melted him a little with that kiss first.]

Where did you almost meet me? Couldn't have been Alderaan--and--hey, you never even said all this time!

[he doesn't sound mad at all, though. more amazed and possibly slightly bewildered.]

Well, I never saw you, only the Falcon.

[and even then, it took her a while to remember that ship that took off without her and connect it with some odd lingering feeling she had from the Falcon. Since YT model freighters were older in general, so she could never be sure until she had gotten more familiar with the Falcon itself.]

I was on Coruscant and needed a nondescript ride off-planet. I was even prepared to offer an entire brick of untraceable credits for a ride.

IC Contact

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject