The gym [early evening]

[momslilassassin]

After a few good hours of wallowing, Ben made his way down to the gym to work off his tension in a more productive way.

The punching bag might not be all that appreciative of it, given the way the chain was squealing each time Ben hit it.

[OOC: Open like a gym!]

Comments

[solo_sword]

"Not exactly what I meant," she told him.

[momslilassassin]

Ben's look was all innocence. "It wasn't?"

[solo_sword]

"Part of the bad thing about being younger is that everyone else has some sort of control over what you do. You have parents and teachers to answer to, but it starts to get better," Jaina shrugged. "It has nothing to do with work or politics, it's all personal."

[momslilassassin]

"Then I'll just have to get older faster," Ben decided.

[solo_sword]

"No, you have to suck it up, at least to some degree," she said bluntly. "Growing up fast is problematic at best and we've had that talk before."

[momslilassassin]

Ben blew out a breath and went back to smacking the bag. "Yeah. I'm a real kid."

[solo_sword]

"It's not a bad thing," Jaina said.

[momslilassassin]

"Sure it is," he said. "I have all the responsibilities of an adult and no one thinking I can do it."

[solo_sword]

"I think you can. I just think you shouldn't have to."

[momslilassassin]

"And if I say no, someone else has to do it," Ben said, shaking his head. "I couldn't do that to them."

He was very much his father's son.

[solo_sword]

"I know," Jaina said. Which was really sort of depressing.

Knowing there wasn't much she could do to make things better, she said, "So I saw you this weekend."

[momslilassassin]

"Was that weird?" Ben asked.

[solo_sword]

"Extremely," she nodded. "You're not a very good conversationalist there."

[momslilassassin]

That earned her a smile. "How old am I?"

[solo_sword]

"I don't know exactly- time difference- but I think about ten months? Still carryable, yet squirmy."

[momslilassassin]

"What was I doing?" Ben asked. "I don't remember much of that time. Um, obviously."

[solo_sword]

"Crawling, babbling," she shrugged. "You ended up having to leave Borleias with the Jedi kids and the Antilles girls, though. You probably didn't notice too much." Okay she wasn't sure she believed that.

[momslilassassin]

"Without Mom and Dad," Ben said. "That part I remember a lot of."

[solo_sword]

"Really?" she asked, immediately trying to think of how much she remembered at that age. "Even that young?"

[momslilassassin]

Ben shrugged, uncomfortable. "There was a reason I didn't exactly reach out for the Force when I was little," he said.

[solo_sword]

Jaina frowned. "See, this is why I don't like kids getting sent away. I get it, but I don't like it."

[momslilassassin]

He shrugged again. "They had their reasons. Can't exactly go into battle with a baby strapped on your back."

[solo_sword]

"Yeah, I know," she said, and there wasn't any of the anger about it that there used to be. "Doesn't mean it doesn't stink. But I get their reasoning."

[momslilassassin]

"Care to explain it to me?" Ben asked.

[solo_sword]

"It's like you said, if you say no, someone else has to do it, and we know the people at the top because they're the best people to do it. If they don't do it, who will?" she said. "They have the responsibility to do what they can, and that has to extend further than just their children. The kids are safer, the parents can stop worrying about how unsafe they are with them and concentrate on saving the rest of the galaxy, which those kids are a part of. It doesn't mean it's easy, or that they stop worrying at all."