driftfleet | Libuscha IV System Mingle (no. 1)

That might be their plan, for all we know.

[It's cold here, and they need something to do.

By this point, being on this planet, Leia is used to people handing her things regardless of whether or not she'd accept it under other circumstances. What she's not used to is Han being the one offering. She's pleasantly surprised as she accepts her half of the pastry, not even making a point to mention Han keeping the larger half for himself.]

I'm not used to people handing out food like this.

Nope.

[ He didn't particularly trust it at first--generosity is a bad business move, after all, so if these people are handing out presents and snacks clearly there's something they expect to gain from it. But no one seems to have been poisoned yet, and Han does like free food.

Besides, it's cold, which is terrible. Pastries are a somewhat acceptable consolation. ]

But I guess we have to respect their traditions, right?

[ which is why he's respectfully stuffing it in his mouth. ]

[That's the polite thing to do, that's true. And it's a waste of half a pastry if she doesn't eat it. So, she follows after Han's example, albeit a bit more neatly. (As in, she's not stuffing the whole thing in her mouth at once).]

It's good, whatever they've used to make it.

[No flavors she'd be able to name, probably. But that doesn't matter.]

Have you ever been to a system like this?

[ The noise he makes is agreeable if muffled by his mouthful of mysterious gift pastry. ]

I don't think we have systems like this at home.

[It's not a behavior she's not used to by now, but talking--or making some sort of noise--with his mouth full does earn Han a raised eyebrow from Leia, but not much more than that.]

We... had holidays back home, of course, but none of them were ever celebrated quite like this.

Well, sure. But I don't know anywhere where people just give you things.

[ Most places are quite the opposite, and well, Han isn't the gift-buying type. ]

Helps keep warm at least.

Not to complete strangers, without expecting anything in return.

[Because gifts in a diplomatic sense from essential strangers weren't ever anything for free.]

It does help, and it's nice, I think. There's certainly worse systems we could've stopped in.

Light years better than the garbage place.

[ He doesn't even bother trying to suppress a light shudder. ]

[His reaction gets an amused smile out of Leia. Not that she disagrees, but it's a bit funny seeing Han so against it.]

No, I'd be happy never visiting a place like that again.

[But related to visiting planets--]

Were you looking for anything in particular down here?

Nah.

[ He seems perfectly casual about that, content just to complain about the cold and eat food from strangers.

Really, he's here because it seems like spending time with her is the best way to figure out why he's so interested in spending time with her. ]

["Nah" doesn't give much context for Leia to figure out what his goal is here, if there even is a goal aside from getting free food from the locals while planet-side.]

Then how about we look for one interesting thing for each of us? Other than pastries, that is.

[ Well, mooching free food from the locals is a pretty great thing.

He perks up a bit, not because he particularly wants to get anything or to get her anything, but it seems like a good getting-to-know you thing. Except she knows him very well. ]

So what are you looking for?

What I'd want for myself, or what I'd look for for you?

[Because for the most part, those are two entirely different things. But there's one thing she thinks both should have in common.]

Something that's unique to this system, I think. It's nice to have something you can't find elsewhere as easily as a reminder of our time here.

So what've they got here, except food?

[ Han has no idea what he'd want. He's willing to play along, but by now traveling light is such an ingrained habit, he can't think past it. The only thing he really wants is the Falcon, but that's obviously out of the question. ]

That's a bit of an open question, you know. I'm sure we could find most things if we looked hard enough.

[Not at this particular market, perhaps, but Leia doubts anything not here at this location will be too far away.]

Or is food what you want?

I mean, who doesn't like food?

[ He grins, small and soft, not the ragged bravado she usually gets out of him. ]

Usually I travel light, you know?

[It throws her a bit, just momentarily, that it's a genuine slightly subdued sort of reaction from him. It's not a bad thing at all, it's just unexpected.

She nods, knowing from experience that Han travels light. And though she knows that, obviously, Han's life has been about the complete opposite of hers, his remark about traveling light has her curious--]

What would you want, if you could have anything you wanted? Forget about how much space it would take up.

[ The question takes him a bit by surprise, and it's not an easy one to answer. He's always angling to gain something but really the things he wants are intangible. Freedom. Independence. Not having to do a damn thing he doesn't want to, to get by in the world with a reasonable level of comfort.

Simple, except not at all. ]

Right now I'd want my ship back, [ he mutters, which is maybe a bit of a stall. ]

[A stall, perhaps, but it does earn him just the smallest smirk from Leia, if only because she fully understands and agrees with him. Sure, the Falcon is a pile of junk and probably not the best smelling ship in the galaxy, but it's comfortable and familiar and could possibly help them leave.]

Believe me, I'd want you to have the Falcon back just as much.

Yeah?

[ now that makes his eyebrows raise. He leans in a bit closer. ]

You must really hate the Vanquish.

[It's not rolling her eyes, not exactly. It's more like his comment has her shaking her head, and lifting her gaze up and away from him.]

The Vanquish holds itself together far better than the Falcon. But the Vanquish is bound to go wherever Atroma sends us next.

[ He can handle a little eyerolling. She still likes his ship better, and he's never letting that go, ever. ]

All I'm saying is these things have engines like hundred-year-old satellites. And we're stuck on their course. Of course you like a better ship better.

That depends on how you're measuring better. The Falcon has a lot of room for improvement, if you really want to consider it better.

[Not that she dislikes it, despite complaining about it. But that she finds it comforting in a familiar sort of way is something she'd rather left unsaid but understood at the moment.]

Mmmhmmm.

[ Sorry Leia, it's too late, he'll never let this go.

He looks way more pleased with his situation than he's got any right to be. ]

[For the moment, any thoughts of gift giving and what might be good to get for him are pushed to the back of Leia's mind, thanks to that overt smugness in his expression.]

You don't need to look so pleased with yourself.

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

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject