Flirtations
Leia Organa Solo shook her head at her brother, who was enjoying a morning caf. She knew it wasn't his preferred drink, which only made her wonder more about what was going on in his head. She tried focusing her own fledgling Jedi abilities to get a clearer picture of his mind, but got nothing back.
Though he tried to hide it from her, Leia knew that he missed the days of being "one of the boys" among the New Republic fighter pilots and missed his friends of those days, which is why he occasionally stopped by their lounges on Coruscant and joined them in some lighthearted banter and reliving past battles. This morning Leia, her husband, and their companion found him sitting with Wedge Antilles and the other members of Rogue Squadron, gesturing wildly and grinning. She caught the odd word here and there, and knew that the soldiers were describing the mixed expressions of horror and rage that the flight mechanics invariably wore whenever they brought their X-Wings in for a landing.
Wedge slapped Luke on the back and leaned in close to the other pilots, as if letting them in on some classified secret. Whatever he said must've been extremely funny given the level of laughter that bubbled out of Rogue Squadron and the barely-repressed grimace of embarasment her brother wore. Then Luke grinned to himself, jerked a thumb at Wedge and said something. Laughter ceased. Wedge winced and blushed. Laughter resumed.
"Maybe we should come back later," Han suggested, bringing Leia back to the reason why the three of them were looking for Luke in the first place. Their companion murmed a negative, mumbling something about how time was of the essence. Leia started forward but stopped when she felt an arm on her own.
"Allow me to get his attention," the third person said with a slight smirk.
Luke paused with his mug on his lips when he felt a ripple in the Force. A small ripple, barely noticable, really. He shrugged to himself and took a mouthful of his drink. An action that proved to be a mistake once the ripple coalesed around him and an image flooded into his mind.
An image of a trim young woman. A trim young woman who was laying on the beach. A trim young woman who's red-gold hair and green eyes were shimmering in the crystal-clear daylight. A trim young woman who was wearing an ear-to-ear grin and nothing else...
Everyone in the room blinked in surprise as Luke, for no apparent reason, suddenly spat his morning caf halfway across the room.
Dead silence reigned.
He coughed and gasped and for a long moment before he ground out, "Good morning, Mara!"
Mara Jade strode foreward and smoothly took a seat opposite him in the only one that miraciously had escaped being covered in caf. She crossed her legs and arms, appearing to be completely at ease, and leaned back, regarding the coughing Jedi Knight with ill-disguised glee. Once Luke finally recovered and glared at her, her face broke into a broad grin. "Are you awake now?" she asked innocently, her eyes filled with everything but innocence..
Luke only glared at her for a moment before shaking his head and laughing himself. "You'll pay for this," he promised.
Mara didn't even bat an eyelash at the promise. Her grin stretched wider. Teeth gleamed. "Bring it on, big boy," she challenged. Luke merely inclined his head a little, accepting.
Leia shook her head and glanced over at Han, who was chuckling himself and trying to keep a straight face. When Luke opened his mouth to retort Mara's unspoken accusation that he wouldn't be able to get her back, Leia strode forward to remind them all that Mara was actually here on business and not just pleasure.