The gym, Friday morning

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This is like the third week in a row Aeryn's had to hit things before anyone comes down to the gym. That has to be some sort of record, even for her. Her phone's laying on the mat, off to the side and out of the way, too. It's also turned up really loudly, just in case anyone should decide to call. Not that one thing has anything to do with the other.

[For tatooine_doofus. I'm going to work soon, but the gym is open, should your character decide to get into gear. *nods*]

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[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

Luke walked into the gym quietly and watched Aeryn punch the bag for several minutes before interrupting her with a soft "hi."

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She gets a few more punches in before saying, "Hi" back. The main reason she stops might be because she's a little out of breath by now.

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

"No news, huh?" he asked, staying where he was.

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"Absolutely none," she says, and out of breath or not, she still hits the bag again.

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

Luke held in a sigh. "I'm sorry," he said. "It's hard not to know."

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"It's fine," she says, stepping away from the bag. "Maybe nothing's happened."

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Luke raised an eyebrow at the bag, but didn't press it. "Maybe," he said instead.

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She nods, like she's trying to convince herself of that. "Still, he could have called."

See, Aeryn should really have no doubts about her role after leaving Fandom. She already knows the script.

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

"I don't know what sort of arrangements need to be made on this planet," Luke admitted, stepping a little closer. "Or maybe he doesn't want to feel helpless on the phone."

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"Just even to let me know he made it there all right," she says. "He wasn't exactly in the best shape when he left."

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Luke nodded. "I can imagine. Do you have his number?"

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"Memorized," she answers. "However, I have no idea what I could be interrupting if I call." Because there's nothing that could potentially ruin a touching moment with your dying mother like a call from your girlfriend asking why the hell you haven't called.

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

Luke nodded again. "That could be bad," he said quietly. He was silent for a moment. "There's just nothing about this situation that isn't terrible, huh?"

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She shakes her head, still boggling a little. "I kind of miss the days of 'someone's dead, sorry, now get on with your life." She hasn't seen those days in a long time.

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

Luke made a face. "I've been there," he said. "But 'too busy to mourn' isn't exactly great, either."

Not that he's slowed down enough to think about everything that had happened in the last few months, but this wasn't about him today.

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Aeryn finally backs away from the bag. Not too far. "I spent seventeen cycles knowing that I was going to die in battle, and watching it happen to those around me. There was nothing to be done about it. It just happened. This... is completely different. I have no idea what to do about it, and it doesn't even actually relate to me."

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

"Of course it relates to you," Luke said, thinking back to those terrible few days on Yavin watching Leia trying to process the death of Alderaan. "Someone you love is hurting."

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"I'm peripheral. I'm support. I'm supposed to be there for him, that's all. And I have no idea how to do that because my frame of reference doesn't exactly mesh," she says, frowning hard at the bag.

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

Luke moved a little closer. "I really don't think there's a wrong way to act," he said. "Listen if he wants to talk, but don't push." He shrugged, then made a guess. "Do what you wanted someone to do after we came back from your world. You were mourning the loss of something then, right?"

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She shakes her head a little. "Is it possible to mourn something you never had?"

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Luke was quiet for a moment. "Absolutely," he said, thinking of Anakin.

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That occurs to her, belatedly. "Sorry," she says.

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Luke gave her a shy smile. "Not your fault," he said quickly. "But yes, I think it can hurt almost as much to lose an ideal or a possibility as to lose an actual person."

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She gives a little nod, because she does get it. And then she says, "It doesn't matter to me," because she is totally lying.

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" he asked. He might not have his father's sensitivity in the Force yet, but that wasn't pinging him as entirely truthful.