The gym [afternoon]

[momslilassassin]

Ben's already terrible mood had not been improved by hearing about John and Hurley on the radio.

So there he was, down in the gym despite the workout he'd gotten with his grandfather earlier in the day, kicking the ever-loving crap out of the heavy punching bag.

He was getting the feeling that he'd need his instincts to be sharp in the next few days.

[OOC: totally open omg]

Comments

[time-flyer-5.livejournal.com]

"What still gets me is the part where he's your grandfather, because I'm pretty sure he's not that much older than I am, and no matter what my brain knows about timeline wonk, my eyes are telling me something different," Jen admitted.

[momslilassassin]

"His new wife is having a baby soon," Ben said, looking a little grossed out.

[time-flyer-5.livejournal.com]

"Which means you'd be older than your own . . ." Jen trailed off and looked a little horrified herself, but chuckled. "Except, at the same time, not. It's days like this I wonder why I decided I wanted the headache of dealing with this stuff for a living."

[momslilassassin]

"For a living?" Ben repeated. "Yikes."

[time-flyer-5.livejournal.com]

"Well," Jen amended, "actually having the time travel issues were secondary. But it's not like I didn't know the Time Force Police had to deal with that stuff, when I signed up."

[momslilassassin]

"Time being in the name and all," Ben agreed.

[time-flyer-5.livejournal.com]

"Shocking, isn't it?" she asked dryly.

[momslilassassin]

"I bet it still trips some people up," Ben replied.

Because people were stupid.

[time-flyer-5.livejournal.com]

Jen heaved a big old sigh of resignation. "Yeah, well. What can you do about it?"

[momslilassassin]

"Generally, rescue them," Ben said with a little snort. "They're the ones who end up in trouble."

[time-flyer-5.livejournal.com]

"Fleeing through the streets screaming like they never saw the latest giant monster coming," Jen mumbled half under her breath.

[momslilassassin]

Another almost-smile. "Exactly."

[time-flyer-5.livejournal.com]

Jen shook her head. "Why do we keep doing this again?"

Rhetorical question, really, but valid anyway.

[momslilassassin]

"Because if we don't, they'll all get killed in stupid ways," Ben said, putting down the weights.

Sometimes Ben was a lot like his grandfather.

[time-flyer-5.livejournal.com]

Jen made a bit of a face.

"Sometimes I hate my sense of obligation. It could at least pay better."

[momslilassassin]

"You get paid at all?" Ben replied.

[time-flyer-5.livejournal.com]

"For that last year? No," Jen snorted. "Which was the one where everything happened, of course."

[momslilassassin]

"Of course," Ben agreed. "We don't get paid. We're just happy to serve or something."

[time-flyer-5.livejournal.com]

"Wait," Jen said. "You seriously don't get paid at all? And people crack on civil service in my galaxy."

[momslilassassin]

He shrugged. "Part of the tradition," he said. "Of course the government would remember that part of Jedi even when everything else was purged."

[time-flyer-5.livejournal.com]

"That sucks," Jen said, more than a little aghast. "I mean that really, really sucks."

[momslilassassin]

"I wouldn't know what to do with credits anyway," Ben said. "We're always provided with what we need."

[time-flyer-5.livejournal.com]

"Well, that's not too bad," Jen conceded. "If it's a job worth doing, which from what I know of you guys it seems to be."

She sounded just a little envious, maybe.

[momslilassassin]

Ben nodded. "Most days," he said. "I should probably let someone else have a try at the heavy bag, huh?"

He looked at it.

"...once I connect it to the ceiling again," he amended.

[time-flyer-5.livejournal.com]

Jen huffed a quiet laugh. "And me without a toolbox on hand. I think I've punished that poor dummy enough for one night."