fandomhigh | Flight Club - Flight Shed, Monday (After Classes)

Your intrepid club leaders didn't look particularly cheerful today, after the weekend. And Tahiri, in particular, looked like she was ready to climb into an actual cockpit and not just a simulation -- crisp flight suit, boots (ugh), very compact travel bag.

"Hey, guys," she said, hands tucked behind her back. "After this weekend we could probably use a pretty easy day, huh?"

Ben kept sneaking glances at her outfit, looking unhappy. "Or possibly a chance to shoot things in a safe environment," he added. Which he really wanted to do. "So our land-based option today is speeder bikes," he said, then went through the basic controls of one.

"You'll like those," Tahiri added, going for cheerful and missing by a few centimeters. "If you think you're up for it, today's spaceflight option is one that isn't actually from our galaxy, even though the ship looks kind of similar to some of our snubfighters . . . it's a Viper Mark II." It was her turn to go over the controls there, which took a while; the Mark II wasn't known for having a technologically advanced instrument panel. "The tricky thing about these is they don't carry lasers. Those guns carry actual ammo. Well -- simulated actual ammo, anyway, so it'll have a different kind of kick. Just keep that in mind while you're shooting things, okay?"

Ben nodded. "Have fun, guys."

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"It's not possible," Leia said, shaking her head and scowling, not at Tahiri but at the idea that she could be so evil. "That's not who I am."

"No . . . but she looked just like you." Tahiri looked apologetic as she tried to meet Leia's eyes, remembering every time Ben had flinched away from her for so long. "Felt like you in the Force, too. I know you're not her, but . . ."

"But I remind you of what she did," Leia finished quietly. "I'm sorry."

Tahiri's smile was tiny, but sardonic. "No, I'm sorry. I ought to be used to these things by now."

. . . people she knew turning Sith. Thus the sardonic.

"No, you shouldn't," Leia said, her tone growing more firm. "No one should ever be used to something like that. And it's never going to happen again." Unless Fandom had something to say about that.

It wasn't Fandom; it was just the way things seemed to go in their world, but . . . maybe it was Fandom, at least in part. Arguably, they wouldn't notice these patterns if not for all these different timelines converging here.

Because Tahiri was looking at Leia and realizing there wasn't a single one of her children who wouldn't in some version of reality be touched by, at the very least, the very real fear of falling to the Dark Side. And it broke her heart more than a little bit.

"I tell myself that every day," she finally said, quietly.

That was heartbreak that Leia was probably better off not knowing.

"Tell me what I can do to make things better," Leia said. She didn't want Tahiri to keep looking at her like she was.

Tahiri gave a small, helpless shrug. "Make sure Ben's all right while I'm gone the next few days? Possibly from a distance . . ."

"He doesn't want to be anywhere near me, does he?" Leia said. She'd be hoping that wasn't the case. "Wait...where are you going?"

"I'm afraid he might be a bit skittish for a while. I'm awfully sorry if he is." The sad part was how she was speaking from experience. As carefully as possible, Tahiri replied, "There are some things I need to take care of at home, that's all."

It hurt more than she ever thought such a thing would to know Ben might be afraid of her now. "All right," she said. "But you'll be safe?"

He'd get over it, at least. Probably sooner than he had with her. "As safe as it ever gets," Tahiri tried to assure her. "That's never a guarantee in our galaxy, and you know that, but I'll be careful."

"Good," Leia said with a nod. "How long are you going to be gone?" So she would know when to begin to worry.

"Just a few days, if things go well," Tahiri hazarded, although she really hadn't bothered much with scheduling; there was just 'getting back eventually,' and 'not getting back at all.' "You might as well get used to us coming and going, you know."

"I'm still going to worry," Leia said. Any time any of them were gone.

"I know." And this was partly practice for when she got home, so she wouldn't flinch when she saw her Leia, but -- yeah, Tahiri went in for a hug.

Leia wasn't complaining. "Take care of yourself," she said, hugging Tahiri back.

"I'll do my best," Tahiri replied, letting go before it got too weird, and giving Leia the best smile she could manage. "Like I said, it's no guarantee, but I always get through somehow."

Not without a brief bout of unconsciousness, granted, but . . .

Flight Club - Flight Shed, Monday (After Classes)

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