The Salle [afternoon]

[momslilassassin]

Ben had noticed an influx of children as he made his usual rounds of exercise-coffee-ice cream shop this morning, but so far none had approached him.

Which was totally not why he was hiding in the salle this afternoon.

He figured if they were his hypothetical children, or any of his relatives, a little lightsaber practice wouldn't keep them away.

And he needed the practice.

So he put a sign on the door warning of live fire and began practicing with a series of remotes.

[OOC: Because I was tired of room posts. Open, especially for Skywalker spawn!]

Comments

[momslilassassin]

Ben looked pained. "He died when he was a teenager. He didn't see the end of the war."

[iceblueeyesomg.livejournal.com]

"Oh." Cassa swallowed, looking horrified, and reached out to hug him again. "No wonder he's not here. Oh, kr -- I mean, no wonder Mom said she wasn't surprised when I told her what happened to him."

[momslilassassin]

"Does that explain a little about why she's so sad?" he asked.

Because it was better to focus on Tahiri than him, of course. He wasn't turning down the hug, though.

[iceblueeyesomg.livejournal.com]

"Because she'll never know me," Cassa answered, squeezing him a little tighter. Smart kid. "But I don't understand why it makes you so sad, Uncle Ben."

Also very much Tahiri's.

[momslilassassin]

"Because I prefer when Tahiri's happy," Ben said, keeping to the absolute truth, "and Anakin made her happy."

[iceblueeyesomg.livejournal.com]

"Uh huh. Because he was Dad," Cassa said, a world of meaning in the word. "I didn't know it was that important to you how happy she was, but at least you're here to keep her company. She must miss him a lot."

She chewed on her lip. "She's doing better than she was when he died in my world, though. It was awful for a long time."

[momslilassassin]

Ben nodded. "I think it helps that Jaina and I are here, and not off on missions all the time if she needs us."

[iceblueeyesomg.livejournal.com]

"Because you're family, and that's important," Cassa agreed. She gave him a bright smile. "I'm glad she has you here, then."

[momslilassassin]

Ben's cheeks went a little pink. "Well, we're closer to the same age here. That helps things. Not many people want to confide in a toddler."

[iceblueeyesomg.livejournal.com]

"You're blushing, Uncle Ben," Cassa said with a giggle, although luckily she didn't ask why. "You're not a toddler at home any more, either. And you let me train with you sometimes!"

[momslilassassin]

"Is Jacen my master there?" Ben asked cautiously.

[iceblueeyesomg.livejournal.com]

"No," Cassa said, not realizing that would probably be a relief. "He was for a while, but a little while after Dad died . . . I'm not sure what happened, exactly, but he isn't any more."

[momslilassassin]

Maybe Luke and Mara had noticed something earlier than they had in Ben's universe, and that lifted a weight from his stomach.

"Probably better that way," Ben said. "Training is hard enough when family isn't involved."

[iceblueeyesomg.livejournal.com]

"Uh huh." Cassa grinned at him, glad he understood. "I'm not old enough to have a Master of my own yet, but I used to hope you'd make Knight in time for it to be you. But they told me it might be a bad idea."

And yes, she looked a bit pouty over that.

[momslilassassin]

"Think of it this way," Ben said, "if I'm not your master, I can tag along with my own apprentice and we'll have twice the firepower."

[iceblueeyesomg.livejournal.com]

"I like that." Cassa bounced on her toes a little bit. "You're smart, Uncle Ben. Can I watch you practice?"

[momslilassassin]

"Of course," Ben replied. "Find a spot to sit."

[iceblueeyesomg.livejournal.com]

"Astral!" Cassa exclaimed, with a look that said see, I remembered to say it right, as she skipped over to one of the corners to sit down.