EVENING 23:
"Will you just make your move?"
Han popped his head out of the cockpit.
"You've already taken more than your fair share of—" the irate voice was muffled by a hoarse wail.
"Hey, Goldenrod," Han stepped out of the cockpit. "We'll finish this later."
"Sure, Captain Solo," Threepio followed Han, much to the man's dismay. Han ignored his clanking shadow and stormed into the main hold.
"What's goin' on in here?" Han placed his hands on his hips.
Chewbacca and Leia sat across from each other at the holotable. The pair looked up at Han like a couple of guilty children.
"Oh, dear!" Threepio muttered.
"Uh-uh," Han shook his head as he looked at the holographic pieces on the holotable. "This is definitely not a good idea."
Chewbacca's nose scrunched up and he growled at Han. Leia nodded her head enthusiastically, "Yeah, mind your own business."
Han's mouth opened and closed as he was rendered speechless. Then his eyes narrowed on a bottle precariously balanced on the lounge seat between his two friends. Han stalked over to the table, "You're not playin'—" he snatched the half empty bottle up before Chewie or Leia had the sense to grab it first. "Chewie! I can't believe you! How could you?"
The Wookie shook his head and a finger at the diminutive girl across from him. She leaned toward him, "Oh no, you don't! It was your idea." Chewie's head swiveled violently, and Leia rolled her eyes, "Okay, I thought it was a good idea, but it was your idea in the first place." Chewie began to deny the accusation, but Leia silenced him with a wave of a hand, "Ah!"
Han held the bottle of crimson liquid and then looked at the pair. Threepio glanced at the bottle over Han's shoulder, "I believe that that bottle was full when I took inventory."
"You guys are drunk!"
Leia's mouth dropped open and she slammed her hand down on the table. The holographic pieces shivered and hissed. "I am most certainly not drunk, Captain Solo. And neither is my friend here," she presented her hand toward Chewbacca who crossed his arms over his chest, "Chewbacca."
"I know his name, Your Worshipfulness!" Han narrowed his eyes.
"Obviously you don't know my name!" she shook a finger at him. "Remind him of my name, Chewie."
Chewbacca elegantly whortled, and Leia began giggling, "I told you not to call me that when he's around." Chewie shrugged and joined in her merriment.
Han scowled. He didn't know if he was angry or amused by their antics. "I thought you guys were workin' on rewiring the starboard scanners."
"We did, and we're finished," Leia pursed her lips after her announcement. "Now we are enjoying some recreation time."
"So that's what this is," Han shook his head and picked up a cup. "Can I play?"
Chewbacca and Leia exchanged glances, "Only two people can play."
"Well," Han poured himself a drink. "I can be on your side, you know, help you beat Chewie." He swallowed the crimson liquid in one gulp.
Leia eyed him suspiciously, "If you'd look at the board carefully, Captain Smart-Ass, you'd see that I'm doing just fine on my own."
"That's what I'm worried about," Han mumbled as he poured another drink and dropped into the navigator's seat.
C-3P0's stiff head movements creaked, "Should I be worried, too?"
"I dunno," Han glanced up at the droid. "Depends on whether or not you want to keep your innards."
"I don't understand."
"Forget it," Han started to nurse his drink.
Chewie woofed and cawed, and the princess shook her head, "No, I believe that it's still your turn. Now take it."
Han leaned back, swirling the thick liquid in his glass as he watched Chewie and Leia play their game. Leia sat with one leg tucked under her seat and the other splayed across the lounge seat. The soles of her socks were dirt-smudged, and Han thought about cleaning the floors. The only shoes her size on the ship were her snow boots. Not very comfortable, but Han had a large supply of socks. It all worked out in the end. She wore gray leggings and one of Han's button-downed shirts. The white shirt was smeared with black handprints near the edges at the side of her hips. He could pretty much write off that shirt. Leia's hair was tied into two long tails that started behind her ears and now sagged, and she had a smudge of grease on the tip of her nose. What a sight she was!
Chewie seemed as worn as she. Han knew that the Wookie would be whining about the grease clumped in his hair if he wasn't drunk. Chewbacca could be so vain sometimes. His bandolier lied next to him on the floor,which was just more proof that Chewbacca was more than a little relaxed and unworried about his appearance. Chewie's normal pristine blue eyes were cloudy and dilated. Han wasn't certain who was drunker. Chewbacca was taking an abnormal amount of time making his move, and they were worse than usual. Han guessed the large Wookie most likely had Leia beat on the level of intoxication.
"Finally!" Leia threw out her arms in exaggerated relief, and Han couldn't help but laugh.
Then the girl pulled both of her legs up underneath her chin as she studied the board. Chewbacca emitted a piercing wail, and again with a hand Leia hushed him up, "Hey! I didn't whine when it was your turn." Chewie started to argue the point.
"He's right," Han interjected. "I heard you all the way into the cockpit."
Leia wagged a finger at Han, "I wasn't whining. I was yelling!"
"Call it what you will," Han took another sip of his drink.
Leia shot him a bit of stink eye before returning her attention to the game. She bit her lip, held her fingers over the controls, and clicked her tongue. Chewie made a high pitched moan, but Leia silenced his with one harsh look. Then she made her move.
Chewie howled, and Leia's brow lowered, "That was a fair move."
Han downed the rest of his drink and put his glass down. Should he pour another?
Chewbacca raised his voice, and Leia sat up on her knees, "Are you calling me a cheat?"
"Leia…"
Chewie put his hands on his hips in a very Leia-like fashion and raised the pitch of his voice. Leia's jawed dropped, "It was a fair and legal move! And it's not supposed to benefit you!"
"Uh, Leia…"
"You stay out of this, Han!" Leia screamed in his general direction. Han raised an eyebrow and decided to pour himself another drink. If she wanted him to stay out of it…
Chewbacca also snapped at Han before returning to the heated argument between Leia and him. Leia's large dark eyes widened, "You know what your problem is?" Chewie folded his arms and refused to look at her. "No, it's not me, and you are going to listen to me!" Chewie bared his teeth, but Leia wasn't fazed, "You have a problem! You do! You can't stand losing!" Chewbacca added a low growl to his bared teeth. Leia expelled a force of air, "You can't! And what I can't understand—now shut up!"
"Leia…" Han put his glass down once again. "I think you've had too much to drink."
"With the way Chewie plays this game, I obviously haven't had enough because I still managed to out maneuver him!" Leia slammed her hands down on the table. Chewie leaned forward, and the princess' voice dropped an octave, "You heard me, you giant walking carpet! You can't stand losing! You're a sore loser!"
Chewie's blurred eyes flashed and he howled. "You know how I know?" Leia braced herself with her arms as she leaned toward him, "Luke told me how you threatened to tear the limbs off of Artoo if he didn't let you win!" Chewie shook his head and grunted.
"Oh! I don't care who said it," the girl looked between Han and Chewie, "You didn't say you wouldn't, did you? So, from the way I see it, you're just as guilty as Han." The Wookie whumped and huffed, but Leia wasn't having any of it, "Go ahead! Bring on your 'Wookie rage'! You don't scare me in the least bit, you overgrown ball of fluff! You and Han are both idiots! Artoo doesn't have any good limbs to tear out. Not like Threepio over here!"
"Please leave me out of this, Your Highness," C-3P0 waved his metallic hands in the air.
"From what Luke told me, you guys didn't scare Artoo. You scared Threepio, and he wasn't even playing!" Chewie stood up and whorphed. "I don't care if I'm making sense or not!" Leia stood on the lounge bench, but the large Wookie still dwarfed the tiny girl. "You want to know what doesn't make sense? That you're, how old?"
"Two hundred years," Han interjected.
The princess froze, looked at Han, and swayed slightly, "Really?" She then looked at the Wookie, "Wow, you're really old." Chewie humphed and hawed, and Leia lifted her chin defiantly, "I'll respect my elders when they deserve respect."
Chewie pulled himself to full height and puffed out his chest, but again, Leia wasn't intimidated, "You heard me!" She climbed up onto the holotable so that she was eye-to-eye with the Wookie, "No, I'll teach you a lesson!"
Han stood up, "Leia, that's not such—"
Before Han was able to stop her, Leia launched herself onto Chewbacca, knocking the poor Wookie onto his back. She landed hard on his chest, and her hands were quick to pin the surprised Wookie's arms to the ground.
There was a long, uncomfortable silence that filled the room. Han held his breath. Leia was right about Chewie; he didn't like to lose. Solo began wrecking his brain for a peaceful way out of this, but the alcohol slowed his quick-wit. This is why I don't drink!
"Chewie," Han finally said, hoping that the intoxicated Wookie would keep his wits about him.
"Yes," Leia sneered and gloated, "this is what it's like to lose, and to lose to a girl no less."
"Oh, Leia!" Han started toward his entangled friends. "Please stop while you're ahead."
"Even Han thinks I won!"
Chewbacca growled ferociously, threw Leia off of him, whipped her up into the air, and knocked Han to the ground. Before Han could recover, Chewie held the princess by her ankles at least two meters off of the ground. Han shook his head to clear it.
"Chewbacca!" Threepio uncharacteristically hollered, "Put down the princess this instant!" Chewie lunged toward Threepio, and the droid cowered.
Han stumbled as he tried to find his feet, "You're not helping, Goldenrod."
"That was pretty good," Leia commented as she dangled from Chewie's hands. Chewie tilted his head side to side as he spoke. Leia smiled, "You're welcome. You've got to show me how to do that."
Chewie's tone and annunciation slowed as if he was talking to a young child. Leia's hands fumbled as she tried to keep her shirt from sliding down, "I am not too small!"
Both Chewbacca and Han laughed at the ridiculous sight the upside-down girl made. Han walked over to the two and lifted Leia out of Chewie's ankle hold, "Alright, you two. I think we've had enough entertainment for the night."
"I would hardly call that entertainment!" Threepio protested. "In fact, Chewbacca, your treatment of the princess is appalling!"
Han's eyebrows rose, "Appalling? What would you call Leia's behavior?"
C-3PO managed to look indignant though his face was expressionless, "Her Highness' behavior was quite inappropriate, but Chewbacca got her intoxicated—"
"You have that wrong," Leia hiccupped as she climbed out of Han's arms. "I got Chewie drunk. I won, remember?"
Chewie grunted. Han shook his head and clapped a hand over her mouth, "Threepio's right. You're behavior is not fitting for a princess."
"Agh!" Before Han knew it, Leia had removed his hand from her mouth and had his arm pinned behind his back.
"How was that, Chewie?" Leia smiled mischievously. Chewie roared and cheered.
Han rolled his eyes as Leia released him, "Man, I rue the day that you learned Shriiywook."
Leia's face twisted into amusement, "'Rue the day'?"
Han lifted his chin high, "Yes, rue the day!"
Chewbacca and Leia broke out into a fit of laughter. Leia panted, "Someone's been watching too many holovids."
Han crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the Wookie and then the girl in turn. That little action only incited more laughter from his small audience.
"Oh, I just can't bear to see Your Highness behave in such a matter," Threepio raised his voice, calling all eyes upon him and all mouths to drop open. "Captain Solo and Chewbacca, you most certainly have been a very bad influence on the princess!"
"Hey, you bucket of noisy bolts," Han said. "She's capable of managing her own bad behavior. She's a big girl even if she's so short!"
Leia's brow knitted together, and Chewbacca added his two credits to the conversation. She frowned, "Watch it, Wookie, or I just might have to take you down again."
"We've had enough taking down for the night," Han interceded.
"I most definitely agree," the droid shoved one hand in the air.
Han's eyes rolled up to the ceiling, "I'm glad to hear that."
"Thank you, Captain."
Han sighed, and Leia stalked up to the droid, "Listen, Threepio, you better just mind your own business before I decide to take you down."
Threepio's head swiveled between Chewbacca and Han, looking for support. Han held his hand up, "I'd listen to her."
"Well, really!" the droid squeaked. "I think I'll go power up."
"You do that," Han waved at the retreating droid. Then he turned to the girl, "What am I gonna do with you?"
Leia arched an eyebrow, crossed her arms over her chest, and jutted out her right hip, "I don't know, Captain. What are you going to do with me?"
Han choked on his own breath, but he quickly recovered, masking his shock with a well-placed lop-sided grin. Not in a million Corellian years did he—
Chewbacca whortled and growled, and Han pulled a face in his friend's general direction. "Why don't we watch a holovids," Han suggested. "All of us."
"So you can expand your vocabulary?" Leia smugly smiled and Chewie laughed.
"For that, I'm gonna let Chewie pick," Han retorted, and Chewie grunted in agreement.
"It better not be that one you made me sit through on a couple of days ago," Leia warned the Wookie. Chewbacca woofed and strutted toward the crew quarters where the largest holoscreen was. Han turned his back on Leia and followed his best friend.
Leia jumped on Han's back as he passed her by. Han caught her legs, and adjusted her weight, "You're gonna be the death of me."
"I hope not," Leia whispered into his ear as she settled in for the short ride.