The Roof, Tuesday Evening

[endsthegame]

Temari had left. She'd left him a message, just written on paper, and he was grateful for it; at least it didn't make him feel as if some kind of teary farewell would be expected of him. He was waiting for a response of an entirely bigger magnitude, though: his request to be placed on a colonial vessel, to explore some of his own universe.

Hopefully, the bugger queen in the library was real. If she wasn't, he'd have to find out where the actual queen was buried - or search his mind to see if he just made it up. Either way, time out on the fringes would help him attain some of his goals.

Ben shouldn't know, of course, but he'd deflected that okay. If he knew Ben, then the Jedi would be too preoccupied with other things soon enough, and Ender would be able to leave in good conscience.

If they bothered to listen to him.

So Ender was back up on the roof, glancing over the rooftops of Fandom Town with no real sentimentality whatsoever.

[ open, but mildly SP-ish. Ah, timezones ]

Comments

[momslilassassin]

"Oh, it's still fascinating," Ben said, leaning back on his elbows to look up as well. "It reminds you of just how little you are, too. More people should spend time looking up."

[endsthegame]

"To an extent," Ender said. He was only a few inches from Ben, but it was comfortable, here. "We all wind up the same size." Ender's sense of scale might have been damaged over time.

[momslilassassin]

"Tiny bits of ash blowing from a funeral pyre?" Ben replied. Cheery. Really.

[endsthegame]

"No," Ender deadpanned, "Some of us don't go for cremation."

[momslilassassin]

"Jedi just disappear sometimes," Ben said, completely missing the point.

[endsthegame]

"And those of us who aren't Jedi get put in the ground sometimes," he shot back, wriggling his eyebrows. "But I think that idea just sailed past you."

[momslilassassin]

"It's totally possible," Ben admitted. "What was the idea?"

[endsthegame]

Ender just looked at him for a few beats, waiting for the point to connect. Or fail to.

[momslilassassin]

Ben ran the conversation back in his head. "We all wind up the same size," he repeated, smiling.

[endsthegame]

"Close enough," Ender said, dryly, "I think I'm getting sentimental in my old age."

Because Ender got sentimental. Really.

[momslilassassin]

"Fifteen is ancient," Ben said just as dryly. "The best years are all behind her."

[endsthegame]

"Yep," Ender said, without irony.

[momslilassassin]

Ben reached out to poke him. "What's bugging you?"

[endsthegame]

"Something has to be bugging me...?" Ender asked him, eying his finger for a moment. "I thought contemplating the state of the universe was a good enough reason to be 'emo' on the roof."

On the upside, it meant he wasn't locked in his room staring at bugger pictures like he'd been for the past two weeks.

[momslilassassin]

"So you've put down your research?" Ben asked, looking at the stars. "Decided to try out this 'vacation' thing?"

[endsthegame]

"I heard it's all the rage right now," Ender told him, "I'd hate not to succumb to peer pressure."

[momslilassassin]

Ben snickered. "I've heard that about you," he said. "Big on following and making sure you're liked."

[endsthegame]

"It's the only way I'll ever get re-elected," he said, solemnly.

[momslilassassin]

"Don't expect me to tell you that the evil despot way is better, but it sure is more streamlined," Ben said with a tiny smirk.

[endsthegame]

"You mean the people of Fandom won't be impressed by my ability to take a vacation on the roof? I must be losing my edge."

If he wanted everyone in Fandom to like him, he'd have employed different tactics over the past few months.

[momslilassassin]

"There are new people coming in soon," Ben said. "Maybe they'll be impressed. Maybe they come from vacation-less worlds. Or ones without roofs."

[endsthegame]

"Elect Ender Wiggin. He builds rooftops," he mused. "It's not a bad slogan."

[momslilassassin]

"Elect Ben Skywalker. He jumps off of rooftops," Ben replied. "Nah. I sound insane."

[endsthegame]

"That's because you are," he said, "You'll have to change your stripes."

[momslilassassin]

"You're crazier than I am," Ben said.