"Of course I think it's a good idea," Luke agreed as he finished chewing a mouthful of food. "She may be an instructor but she still has her duties to the Order. Plus, I think it's been a while since you last went on a mission. You could use the change of scenery."
"You didn't say anything about whether I'd be an asset to the mission, so I'm going to assume that you want me out of your hair," Kyp said, smiling wryly at him from across the table.
"Something like that," Luke laughed good-naturedly. "Speaking of Li'aania, it looks like Valin Horn has taken an interest in her."
"Hmmm, what possibly could have tipped you off on that?" Kyp asked, groaning as he glanced at the flirting that was going on at the other side of the room. "I promised Brodey that I'd keep an eye on her."
"I see," Luke said with a nod. "Trying to shelter her from any man who might pursue her affections?"
"Something like that, but more along the lines that bad things will happen to any guy who hurts her," Kyp replied, still staring with disapproval at Valin as the young man captivated her with his smile.
"So you're sort of stepping in for the brother role," Luke stated, rubbing his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "I think that may be a mistake."
"And why is that?"
"Every mistake we make in a relationship is a learning experience," Luke offered. "By always shielding her from any source of conflict, you're depriving her of that experience."
"I'm not going to deprive her of any experience," Kyp explained. "I'll just shove him around a bit if he tries anything funny."
"Just a word of advice: Let her fight her own battles. She's definitely more than capable."
----------------------------------------
"Are you serious?" Li'aa laughed, flipping her hair back over her shoulder. "She threw up ON him?"
"That's what I've heard," Valin shrugged as he smiled warmly at her.
"He never told me about any of that!"
"I don't think it's the kind of thing that anyone's ever proud of," He said, snickering. "After all, it was his fault!"
"It's not his fault if Jaina had a weak stomach with all the alcohol she put in it," Li'aa muttered with disdain. "One of the many reasons why my family frowns on drinking. Nothing good can come of it."
"I suppose you're right, but I've still been enjoying myself since I was legal on Corellia," Valin replied with a wide grin and a wink in her direction. "Although I guess I weigh a little more than Jaina."
"Yeah, soaking wet!" Li'aa teased, slightly surprised at her bravado. This guy was beginning to rub off on her.
"I'm offended!" Valin cried, his mouth dropping open. "So, have you ever actually tried drinking in moderation for yourself, or are you just making a snap judgment about it based on what your parents say?"
She shook her hand adamantly. "I'm not yet legal back at home. The only thing you can do before you're twenty three is pilot, and there's a limit on what you can fly."
"But when you're legal, will you give it a test run?"
Li'aania stared at him incredulously. She'd tried to change the subject to something more appropriate, but this guy just couldn't take a hint. "No, I won't 'give it a test run'. It's not my thing, and that's all there is to it."
"Is it for religious reasons?" Valin questioned, still digging.
"Look, discussing my family's alcoholism is not a favorite topic of conversation for me. Can we talk about something else?"
"Okay. What got you interested in combat?" He asked, not skipping a beat.
"That's easy," She answered, feeling at ease once again. "My brother. I always admired him for his skills as a fighter, even though he wasn't very admirable in other ways, toward the end."
"And I take it you don't want to talk about it."
"You're catching on!" Li'aa laughed, pointing a finger at him as she nodded her head. "Actually, all that fighting between him and my father doesn't bother me now, just because I know it all had a happy ending. It used to bug me to no end, though, during the six years he was gone."
"What did you do during those six years?" Valin asked curiously, with the same dazed look she'd seen on Kyp. She obviously needed to wear a different perfume.
"I was raised and instructed by my older brother," She responded. "And pestered by my third one."
"Yikes," Valin cringed, pulling a face. "It's bad enough for me with just one sister!"
"I wish I had a sister," Li'aania pouted. "All I have is three crummy older brothers. They're not any fun when you want to play dolls or dress-up."
"Somehow I can't imagine you playing dress-up!" Valin chuckled. "You're too. . .different."
"Valin Horn, you better mean that as a compliment!" She threatened.
"Of course I do! Do you think I'd purposely insult a person who could beat me to a pulp?" He cried, roaring with laughter as he observed the dangerous look on her pale face. She obviously wasn't used to his strange sense of humor.
"I'd prefer it if people were totally honest with me. I've met too many dishonest people in my lifetime to shrug if off," Li'aa commented with a grim smirk and meaningful eyes.
Valin seemed to get the message for once as he cleared his throat and began, "When I first saw you I was convinced you were some sort of perfect, golden goddess sent down to brighten my day. Now that I'm getting to know you better I realize that you're a little rougher around the edges than I'd previously guessed. We have a few cultural and social differences, and your shattering of Durron in that duel yesterday ruined my 'pretty princess' notion of you, but I still find you to be a lot of fun to be around and I'd like to get to know you better. There, how was that?"
Li'aania turned her face to the table, a smile forming on her face as the redness crept into her cheeks. She'd never been the object of such flattery, not even from her own family members. It was a little unnerving to hear words like that coming from a handsome young man to whom she was attracted. "That. . .was pretty sweet of you, Valin."
"You're the one who's sweet," He said, giving her the same picture-perfect smile he'd given her the day before. The far-away look in his eyes spoke volumes about how he felt. So this was infatuation. If she didn't feel somewhat similarly, she might have told him to snap out of it.
"Please, that's enough flattery for one day," She growled playfully. "Don't make me do to you what I did to Kyp!"
That got his attention.
"So, you said you liked ships?" He asked tensely as he jutted out his lower lip.
"Yeah, I like them all right," She agreed, albeit hesitantly. In the previous conversation she hadn't uttered a word about her interest in flying, and it was strange to be in a place where everyone judged her abilities based on those of her brother. But she did appreciate the vessels for their aesthetic appearance. She had to give him that.
"Well, then I have something that I absolutely have to show you," Valin replied with a wink.
-----------------------------------------
"He's flirting with her again," Kyp grumbled. "I don't like the way he's going about it. He always comes across as sneaky."
"Pot. Kettle. Black," Mara answered bluntly as she plunked her tray down onto the table top next to her husband. She took a minute to remove her poncho and squeeze the rain out of her matted-down, coppery hair before taking her seat. All the while she kept her scrupulous gaze on Kyp. "You're just envious because he's being sneakier than you!"
"A little wet out there, Mara?" Kyp sneered back, admiring her appearance.
"Is that the best you can do?" She returned with a venomous smile.
"I thought you just had to make a stop back at our quarters," Luke interrupted, looking at his wife with concern.
"There's a driving storm out there, Skywalker," Mara replied sardonically. "It picked up in the past few minutes. If you actually paid it some attention, you might have noticed."
"Guilty," Luke agreed with a slight nod of his head. "I've been too immersed in this discussion with Kyp about young Valin over there."
"I know, I heard," Mara said, her eyes flickering with amusement. "With all due respect to Durron and his teenage rivalries, the important issue at hand is what we're going to do about the storm."
"Cute," Kyp snapped, smiling sweetly at her. "I vote that we stay in here. It's an internal room, so we should be fairly safe from any electrical storm. Plus, we're all here already."
"Not exactly," Mara laughed. "I do hope Li'aa's ambassador friends know how to swim."
"So, we've agreed that we'll bring things in here?" Luke asked seriously, forcing himself not to smile at her comment.
"Yeah, why not?" Kyp concurred. "Free food for everyone!"
"Then I have an announcement to make," Luke said, pushing his chair out from the table.
"Look at him over there, touching her hand as he talks to her," Mara taunted, jerking Kyp's attention back toward Valin and Li'aa. "And now it looks like he's taking her somewhere!"
If Kyp noticed the glee in her eyes from that revelation, he didn't let on. He was too focused on the goofy grin smeared across young Horn's face. "Not if I can help it," He fumed, setting his jaw.
"You didn't say anything about whether I'd be an asset to the mission, so I'm going to assume that you want me out of your hair," Kyp said, smiling wryly at him from across the table.
"Something like that," Luke laughed good-naturedly. "Speaking of Li'aania, it looks like Valin Horn has taken an interest in her."
"Hmmm, what possibly could have tipped you off on that?" Kyp asked, groaning as he glanced at the flirting that was going on at the other side of the room. "I promised Brodey that I'd keep an eye on her."
"I see," Luke said with a nod. "Trying to shelter her from any man who might pursue her affections?"
"Something like that, but more along the lines that bad things will happen to any guy who hurts her," Kyp replied, still staring with disapproval at Valin as the young man captivated her with his smile.
"So you're sort of stepping in for the brother role," Luke stated, rubbing his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "I think that may be a mistake."
"And why is that?"
"Every mistake we make in a relationship is a learning experience," Luke offered. "By always shielding her from any source of conflict, you're depriving her of that experience."
"I'm not going to deprive her of any experience," Kyp explained. "I'll just shove him around a bit if he tries anything funny."
"Just a word of advice: Let her fight her own battles. She's definitely more than capable."
----------------------------------------
"Are you serious?" Li'aa laughed, flipping her hair back over her shoulder. "She threw up ON him?"
"That's what I've heard," Valin shrugged as he smiled warmly at her.
"He never told me about any of that!"
"I don't think it's the kind of thing that anyone's ever proud of," He said, snickering. "After all, it was his fault!"
"It's not his fault if Jaina had a weak stomach with all the alcohol she put in it," Li'aa muttered with disdain. "One of the many reasons why my family frowns on drinking. Nothing good can come of it."
"I suppose you're right, but I've still been enjoying myself since I was legal on Corellia," Valin replied with a wide grin and a wink in her direction. "Although I guess I weigh a little more than Jaina."
"Yeah, soaking wet!" Li'aa teased, slightly surprised at her bravado. This guy was beginning to rub off on her.
"I'm offended!" Valin cried, his mouth dropping open. "So, have you ever actually tried drinking in moderation for yourself, or are you just making a snap judgment about it based on what your parents say?"
She shook her hand adamantly. "I'm not yet legal back at home. The only thing you can do before you're twenty three is pilot, and there's a limit on what you can fly."
"But when you're legal, will you give it a test run?"
Li'aania stared at him incredulously. She'd tried to change the subject to something more appropriate, but this guy just couldn't take a hint. "No, I won't 'give it a test run'. It's not my thing, and that's all there is to it."
"Is it for religious reasons?" Valin questioned, still digging.
"Look, discussing my family's alcoholism is not a favorite topic of conversation for me. Can we talk about something else?"
"Okay. What got you interested in combat?" He asked, not skipping a beat.
"That's easy," She answered, feeling at ease once again. "My brother. I always admired him for his skills as a fighter, even though he wasn't very admirable in other ways, toward the end."
"And I take it you don't want to talk about it."
"You're catching on!" Li'aa laughed, pointing a finger at him as she nodded her head. "Actually, all that fighting between him and my father doesn't bother me now, just because I know it all had a happy ending. It used to bug me to no end, though, during the six years he was gone."
"What did you do during those six years?" Valin asked curiously, with the same dazed look she'd seen on Kyp. She obviously needed to wear a different perfume.
"I was raised and instructed by my older brother," She responded. "And pestered by my third one."
"Yikes," Valin cringed, pulling a face. "It's bad enough for me with just one sister!"
"I wish I had a sister," Li'aania pouted. "All I have is three crummy older brothers. They're not any fun when you want to play dolls or dress-up."
"Somehow I can't imagine you playing dress-up!" Valin chuckled. "You're too. . .different."
"Valin Horn, you better mean that as a compliment!" She threatened.
"Of course I do! Do you think I'd purposely insult a person who could beat me to a pulp?" He cried, roaring with laughter as he observed the dangerous look on her pale face. She obviously wasn't used to his strange sense of humor.
"I'd prefer it if people were totally honest with me. I've met too many dishonest people in my lifetime to shrug if off," Li'aa commented with a grim smirk and meaningful eyes.
Valin seemed to get the message for once as he cleared his throat and began, "When I first saw you I was convinced you were some sort of perfect, golden goddess sent down to brighten my day. Now that I'm getting to know you better I realize that you're a little rougher around the edges than I'd previously guessed. We have a few cultural and social differences, and your shattering of Durron in that duel yesterday ruined my 'pretty princess' notion of you, but I still find you to be a lot of fun to be around and I'd like to get to know you better. There, how was that?"
Li'aania turned her face to the table, a smile forming on her face as the redness crept into her cheeks. She'd never been the object of such flattery, not even from her own family members. It was a little unnerving to hear words like that coming from a handsome young man to whom she was attracted. "That. . .was pretty sweet of you, Valin."
"You're the one who's sweet," He said, giving her the same picture-perfect smile he'd given her the day before. The far-away look in his eyes spoke volumes about how he felt. So this was infatuation. If she didn't feel somewhat similarly, she might have told him to snap out of it.
"Please, that's enough flattery for one day," She growled playfully. "Don't make me do to you what I did to Kyp!"
That got his attention.
"So, you said you liked ships?" He asked tensely as he jutted out his lower lip.
"Yeah, I like them all right," She agreed, albeit hesitantly. In the previous conversation she hadn't uttered a word about her interest in flying, and it was strange to be in a place where everyone judged her abilities based on those of her brother. But she did appreciate the vessels for their aesthetic appearance. She had to give him that.
"Well, then I have something that I absolutely have to show you," Valin replied with a wink.
-----------------------------------------
"He's flirting with her again," Kyp grumbled. "I don't like the way he's going about it. He always comes across as sneaky."
"Pot. Kettle. Black," Mara answered bluntly as she plunked her tray down onto the table top next to her husband. She took a minute to remove her poncho and squeeze the rain out of her matted-down, coppery hair before taking her seat. All the while she kept her scrupulous gaze on Kyp. "You're just envious because he's being sneakier than you!"
"A little wet out there, Mara?" Kyp sneered back, admiring her appearance.
"Is that the best you can do?" She returned with a venomous smile.
"I thought you just had to make a stop back at our quarters," Luke interrupted, looking at his wife with concern.
"There's a driving storm out there, Skywalker," Mara replied sardonically. "It picked up in the past few minutes. If you actually paid it some attention, you might have noticed."
"Guilty," Luke agreed with a slight nod of his head. "I've been too immersed in this discussion with Kyp about young Valin over there."
"I know, I heard," Mara said, her eyes flickering with amusement. "With all due respect to Durron and his teenage rivalries, the important issue at hand is what we're going to do about the storm."
"Cute," Kyp snapped, smiling sweetly at her. "I vote that we stay in here. It's an internal room, so we should be fairly safe from any electrical storm. Plus, we're all here already."
"Not exactly," Mara laughed. "I do hope Li'aa's ambassador friends know how to swim."
"So, we've agreed that we'll bring things in here?" Luke asked seriously, forcing himself not to smile at her comment.
"Yeah, why not?" Kyp concurred. "Free food for everyone!"
"Then I have an announcement to make," Luke said, pushing his chair out from the table.
"Look at him over there, touching her hand as he talks to her," Mara taunted, jerking Kyp's attention back toward Valin and Li'aa. "And now it looks like he's taking her somewhere!"
If Kyp noticed the glee in her eyes from that revelation, he didn't let on. He was too focused on the goofy grin smeared across young Horn's face. "Not if I can help it," He fumed, setting his jaw.