driftfleet | Libuscha IV System Mingle (no. 1)

[That's an issue she isn't interested in pressing as a serious subject; she knows better than that now. Instead she just rolls her eyes, partially in response to the teasing and partially because she doesn't fully believe he would anyway.]

Would you have recognized me as someone who could be charged a ton?

Maybe not at first.

[ But anyone in a hurry is usually willing to pay a premium for it. Whether they actually ever pay is a whole other issue. ]

But I probably had cargo, not passengers.

I can't imagine what you would've been taking off of Coruscant.

[Not that Leia enjoyed much of the more coruscanti parts of Coruscant. She liked the places she went with friends, at the time, and she liked the apartment her family had owned there. But it wasn't anywhere she'd consider pleasant, and even with the importance she knew her work held in the Senate during her time there, it wasn't ever somewhere she liked being.]

Besides, I don't take up much space.

Something completely legal which I got fair and square, obviously.

[ His lips twist into a small smile. Leia is small, and incredibly stubborn, and he has to concede a point. ]

You might've convinced me.

[Okay, that comment succeeds in getting a short, quiet laugh out of Leia. Because she knows what he's been hauling around for them--helpful, still illegal--and a bit about the sort of work he was involved in before meeting Luke, in a broad sense and that that work was done for Jabba. Absolutely something legal that he got fair and square.]

I'm sure I could've convinced Chewie.

[since naturally if Chewie makes up his mind, she's got the impression that's what he and Han wind up doing.]

[ He doesn't do everything Chewie wants to do!!

Okay, mostly, he does end up doing everything Chewie wants to do. ]

You probably could've,

[ he concurs, tacking on a long-suffering sigh on principle. ]

[She'll take that as a win. Leia: 1 Han: 0, at least how she views that hypothetical situation argument.]

Don't sigh like that. Imagine how he must feel.

I don't have to imagine a thing. He's not exactly shy.

And you still pretend to disagree with him?

[She shouldn't really be surprised, really, not with knowing how much she and Han argue in circles about absolutely nothing. But she can pretend, sure.]

I had to study Shyriiwook, you know. Years ago. I wasn't very good at it then.

We've been flying together long enough, it evens out.

[ He shrugs. Sometimes he wins, usually Chewbacca wins. Often enough they do agree. They get by. ]

Yeah? Easier to understand than to speak.

[ For humans at least. ]

It's easier to understand when you're around a Wookiee regularly.

[She doesn't even want to attempt to speak even one word of it, because she doubts it's even possible for her to make her throat make those kind of sounds.]

Not so much when you're being formally taught how to understand it.

[ The look he gives her now is fairly neutral, quiet-- much more serious than he's prone to being. It doesn't last very long. But it's thoughtful. ]

A lot of people don't bother trying, [ he says breezily. ]

[She catches that look, as short as it may be. It's not one she's never seen before, but it's one that's rare for Han here, she's noticed.]

A lot of people don't know what they're missing out on.

[ It's weird, how easily she does that. Reads him like an unencrypted database. Glancing at her again, he half smiles. ]

C'mon. Your turn, [ he says, bumping against her shoulder lightly. ]

[The moment has passed, and it's something to once again file away and think about how to deal with it later. The return to a lighter atmosphere is a welcome one, and she raises her eyebrows, an expression somewhere between amused and interested on her face as he nudges her.]

My turn for what?

We have to find you a souvenir. Something non-edible.

[ If he were buying her a gift without her input, what would he get...? It's hard to know. Probably he would try to get something practical like a blaster, he feels like it'd be impossible to pick jewelry out for her, or clothes, any of the sorts of things you traditionally get women. Not that he's made a habit of pursuing the kinds of women who want traditional things.

What Leia wants, he's still not sure. Presumably he's figured out some of it by the time she's from.

Maybe.

He saunters into the next booth, full of shawls and scarves and capes-- woven and knit, some trimmed with fur, others beaded. Practical and pretty together, maybe? ]

What are the chances we end up on a half-molten planet, next time?

[The harder part is, Leia herself wouldn't even know what she'd say she wanted as a gift. Gift giving and anything like that has been the furthest thing from her mind for years at this point, and she's used to minimizing her own needs and wants that don't directly relate to the Rebellion.

Han is usually good in her time about knowing what she might like or appreciate or need, but that's a Han that's had a few years getting to know her, not Han from, in her perspective, years earlier when they had just met. But she follows him into the next booth regardless, looking around at the scarves and capes with interest. They're pretty, there's no denying that.

At his question, though, she gives an amused half-laugh.]

I'd say pretty high. After this, they'll think they're giving those who complained about the cold a treat.

It might not be the worst change.

[ But this is the best idea he has, so at least he's going to think it through, even if they move on. Keeping her warm for however long they stay isn't the worst notion.

He looks at goods with a slightly criminal eye, the habits of a smuggler-- picking out quality because it's good to know the best way to flatter and bribe. There are all manner of things here-- boldly colored, woven and knit, furs and and sheer pieces. With an ease that belies the amount of attention he's paying to the options, he sweeps a white, woolen capelet off a peg and sets it around her shoulders, the neckline trimmed with a ruff of fur.

It is possibly, just a little bit, an excuse to touch her more than he's made a habit of. ]

I don't know. As tired as I am of the cold, I think I prefer this over worrying about something setting fire.

[She allows him to place the capelet around her shoulders, not bothered at all by it and instead watching him with interest. She's seen Han in many different situations in the time she's known him, but picking out clothing of any variety is new.]

A planet that isn't one of a few extremes would be nice.

[ He is a man of many talents. And maybe more importantly, a man willing to bluff when he hasn't got a better idea. He doesn't move away immediately, though it more or less seems natural. ]

That might be too much to hope for.

If it's too hot, I won't get the chance to use this.

[For emphasis, she tugs gently at the edge of the capelet. And also to get a feel for what the material itself feels like. It's softer than she might have expected, which is a nice surprise.]

[ are they at the point where he can joke about buying her lingerie? Han has absolutely no idea. ]

We could end up on an ice planet again, sooner or later.

[They're only at that stage if he'd want an argument with an embarrassed Leia. Scarves, capelets, warm clothing for this weather? They're nice and a safe bet.

At the prospect of yet another ice planet, Leia shakes her head. This and Hoth are more than enough for her for now.]

We were on an ice planet before I arrived here. Did I tell you?

[ The one she's got on suits her, he thinks. But this isn't a perfunctory task, so he keeps looking around, reaching for another-- a lighter weave in shades of light blue with silvery threads throughout-- and holding it out toward her. ]

I don't think so. Sounds terrible.

[ She has probably noticed that Han does not particularly like being cold. ]

It wasn't the most pleasant of bases.

[Not just because of the cold, there was the whole uncomfortable awkwardness between the two of them by the end. But that isn't something she feels is worth elaborating on.

Instead, she reaches out to touch the one he's holding out. Not to take it, just to get a feel for the fabric.]

I didn't know you had such an eye for fashion.

Libuscha IV System Mingle (no. 1)

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