Chapter 35: Difficult I can handle
"Daniel?" Varielle was in the doorway, her body language speaking of concealed uncertainty.
"Yes?" He shoved his books away and got up. "I was just trying to work up a basic phrase manual…"
"I can come back…"
"No, it's fine."
"Good. I brought coffee." She handed him a mug and took a seat. "I hear your troops are going back?"
"All but two of them," she nodded. "Yeren and I are staying until we've got a basic truce worked out."
"Where are you going after that?" he asked.
"I'm staying here," she said. "They're making me the Ambassador."
He choked on the coffee. "Sorry," he said after a moment. "I was just surprised, that's all. I'd thought, well…"
"Someone older would get the job? So did I. Yeren wanted the Ambassador to be a Jedi, and she's running things. The politicians are all fighting over it as a campaign issue." She shook her head. "She also told me to take you out to a really nice restaurant as a thank-you for all you did for us, or at least a partial thanks. She gave me some things, some precious metals and gems out of Jedi funds; any ideas how I go about turning them into hard currency?"
"She told you that?"
"Actually, yes. Most people don't suspect that Jedi are closet romantics. This is their idea of subtlety."
Daniel flushed. "Varielle, look, um…" He paused and she waited. "I like you, but…"
"I'm younger, and we're co-workers, and you've lost so much in your life you don't want to lose any more?"
He nodded.
"Well, if I stay in a peaceful job I'll probably outlive you by a century, and we're co-workers, and I've lost a lot in my life as well including a home and two sets of parents. So I think we're about even." She shrugged. "I'm content to wait and see if we find we can't stand each other."
"I, I think I could live with that."
"Good." She smiled. "Because I'm probably going to give you a lot of grief, starting with this concept of yours of a national draft. After that, I'm going to go through that book of yours and point out all the mistakes. After that, we've got to go and translate while Yeren and Bletchley yell at each other in front of some rather important people. After that, I've got to come up with some kind of convincing argument to let my people get diplomatic immunity and resident status if we open up an embassy here. After that, some of your leadership want weapons schematics and we're not giving them up right now. So what say before that we grab a bite to eat, preferably of something that is actually food instead of the mutated glassware served in your mess?"
"Alright," Daniel looked a bit pole-axed. "Tell me, are you always like this?"
"Only when I'm exhausted."
"When are you going to stop being exhausted?"
"It'll probably be quite some time."
"Oh, no."
"Oh, don't worry. I'll sleep. Probably some time next week."
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
"Only a little." She sighed. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright."
"Thank you." There was silence for a moment.
"Well," Daniel said, "I guess if you want real food, that's going to be a bit difficult…"
"Difficult I can handle. I'm no fainting blossom."
"So I've noticed."
She laughed. "C'mon. Let's have lunch. Everything else, I'll take as it comes."
THE END - FOR NOW
"Daniel?" Varielle was in the doorway, her body language speaking of concealed uncertainty.
"Yes?" He shoved his books away and got up. "I was just trying to work up a basic phrase manual…"
"I can come back…"
"No, it's fine."
"Good. I brought coffee." She handed him a mug and took a seat. "I hear your troops are going back?"
"All but two of them," she nodded. "Yeren and I are staying until we've got a basic truce worked out."
"Where are you going after that?" he asked.
"I'm staying here," she said. "They're making me the Ambassador."
He choked on the coffee. "Sorry," he said after a moment. "I was just surprised, that's all. I'd thought, well…"
"Someone older would get the job? So did I. Yeren wanted the Ambassador to be a Jedi, and she's running things. The politicians are all fighting over it as a campaign issue." She shook her head. "She also told me to take you out to a really nice restaurant as a thank-you for all you did for us, or at least a partial thanks. She gave me some things, some precious metals and gems out of Jedi funds; any ideas how I go about turning them into hard currency?"
"She told you that?"
"Actually, yes. Most people don't suspect that Jedi are closet romantics. This is their idea of subtlety."
Daniel flushed. "Varielle, look, um…" He paused and she waited. "I like you, but…"
"I'm younger, and we're co-workers, and you've lost so much in your life you don't want to lose any more?"
He nodded.
"Well, if I stay in a peaceful job I'll probably outlive you by a century, and we're co-workers, and I've lost a lot in my life as well including a home and two sets of parents. So I think we're about even." She shrugged. "I'm content to wait and see if we find we can't stand each other."
"I, I think I could live with that."
"Good." She smiled. "Because I'm probably going to give you a lot of grief, starting with this concept of yours of a national draft. After that, I'm going to go through that book of yours and point out all the mistakes. After that, we've got to go and translate while Yeren and Bletchley yell at each other in front of some rather important people. After that, I've got to come up with some kind of convincing argument to let my people get diplomatic immunity and resident status if we open up an embassy here. After that, some of your leadership want weapons schematics and we're not giving them up right now. So what say before that we grab a bite to eat, preferably of something that is actually food instead of the mutated glassware served in your mess?"
"Alright," Daniel looked a bit pole-axed. "Tell me, are you always like this?"
"Only when I'm exhausted."
"When are you going to stop being exhausted?"
"It'll probably be quite some time."
"Oh, no."
"Oh, don't worry. I'll sleep. Probably some time next week."
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
"Only a little." She sighed. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright."
"Thank you." There was silence for a moment.
"Well," Daniel said, "I guess if you want real food, that's going to be a bit difficult…"
"Difficult I can handle. I'm no fainting blossom."
"So I've noticed."
She laughed. "C'mon. Let's have lunch. Everything else, I'll take as it comes."
THE END - FOR NOW