Just Outside the Main Gate, Friday Morning

[bitchprince]

He'd been assessing people resources for most of the previous day. Since there had yet to be word from Lady Zoe, Arthur took the opportunity today to scope out how much space there would be for a barricade - if one could even be feasible.

This brought him to the area just outside the gates, wearing full armor and backed by Merlin-the-idiot-sorcerer, his eyes shooting towards the road in front of them from time to time.

[[ open, especially to merlin, and zombie-ok as well! ]]

Comments

[weetuskenraider]

Well, it was some sort of smile, at least?

"There you are," Tahiri said.

[momslilassassin]

"Here I am," Ben said, nodding. It felt like he'd been building barricades and preparing fortifications for months. "At least we have the high ground?"

[weetuskenraider]

"Gates help," Tahiri agreed awkwardly. "This stuff has never been my strong point."

[momslilassassin]

"Make sure the only way in is one you know about," Ben said with a nod, "and then defend the hell out of it."

[weetuskenraider]

"I wonder if anyone's scouted the area yet," Tahiri said thoughtfully. "If we get more help with the barricade we -- I could maybe do that."

[momslilassassin]

Ben nodded. "Make sure we don't have a back door, like Uncle Han found on Endor."

[weetuskenraider]

"As if I haven't heard that story a thousand times," Tahiri tried to joke.

[momslilassassin]

Ben gave her another tiny smile. "He's so shy and withdrawn about his battles normally. I wasn't sure it had ever come up."

[weetuskenraider]

"I had to practically pry it out of him," she said, deadpan.

Not your best choice of a joke, Tahiri.

[momslilassassin]

Ben winced and shifted a little bit away under the guise of moving a piece of wood into a better position.

[weetuskenraider]

"Right, not the time for jokes, I get it," Tahiri said, looking at him dubiously. "Ben . . ."

She had no idea how to deal with this, she realized as she trailed off. She didn't even know what she was dealing with.

[momslilassassin]

For a split second, Ben reacted to her voice and his carefully erected walls came down. A mess of guilt and pain and fear and anger and grief roiled out of him.

He fixed that almost immediately. "Yes?" he asked softly.

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri was caught flat-footed, literally and figuratively, by even that brief flash of what she sensed. He was a mess, and whatever was going on, she made up her mind she'd get to the bottom of it somehow.

She shook her head. "Let's get through this fight first, okay?" Why did this feel so familiar?

[momslilassassin]

Ben was rather futily hoping she hadn't picked up on his little hiccup there. "Fighting I can do," he said firmly. "Fighting I'm good at."

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri offered him a hesitant smile. She couldn't not try and give him some kind of encouragement, no matter what was going on. "I know, hero boy."

She'd call him that whether or not he agreed with the assessment.

[momslilassassin]

Ben didn't flinch that time, something he was absurdly proud of.

"You're not so bad yourself."

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri really, really wanted to go over and kiss him, or at least give him a hug. In fact, she took a step or two toward him before what she'd picked up off him for that second or so made her reconsider.

"I could stand to get better," she said instead.

[momslilassassin]

"You have time," Ben said, pulling his cloak around his shoulders.

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri just looked at him curiously, but only for a moment; she'd noticed the way he flinched every time she looked at him for too long.

She didn't think she liked where that might lead.

"Not if we don't make it through this," she answered, her chin set stubbornly. "Which is why we're going to."

[momslilassassin]

"Have you talked to Jaina yet?" he asked, "about John?"

He'd not exactly been seeking out his family.

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri bit her lip and shook her head, looking guilty. "I haven't exactly gone looking for her," she admitted.

She'd been avoiding that since she'd gotten his message, after all.

[momslilassassin]

"Me either," he admitted. "Think one of us should?"

[weetuskenraider]

"I can do it," Tahiri offered, thinking he wasn't in any shape to do it, though she'd never tell him that under the circumstances.

[momslilassassin]

"Thank you," Ben said softly.

[weetuskenraider]

"Don't mention it." Tahiri gave him a tiny smile, and hoped it wouldn't make him flinch again.