The first of December is here! Yes! Finally! :D As this is such is the case, I figured it warranted some celebration on my part. Thus: (gestures) this chapter!...and as usual, my two cents of notes about it at the end. My apologies to everyone for the end notes...not ;D
Thanks for reading! :D
Racing up the steps of the Senate building, Dick flashed his ID to the guards - ignoring the weary sighs that came from them - and upon wishing them a happy holiday, he scurried up to the clone offices and straight into his usual commissioning room where Viper and Mason were already waiting for him.
Grinning, he chirped, ''Happy Holidays, everyone. Happy Holidays and merry first day of winter, sheesh, it's about time. I thought with all the heat, it might never turn cold.''
He plopped into his chair at the table and flicked his fedora onto a nearby caff counter to his left, continuing, ''Granted, it still might since unfortunately the people controlling Corusant's weather system seem to like the heat.''
He made a face. ''Don't get me wrong, I like summer and all that, but when winter comes, I like my snow.''
On the other end, Mason and Viper exchanged glances.
''Uhh, Dick?'' Mason raised an eyebrow. ''It's just the first of December.''
''Yeahhuh, that's what I said.'' He smiled.
Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Viper plopped his head back on the top of his chair, groaning, ''Oh please, not this. Not now...''
Either not hearing him or utterly ignoring him (which, being typically what happened, was the most likely), Mason shook his head, ''Noooo, you said it's the first day of winter.''
''Yeah, exactly.''
''Dick, the first day of winter and the first day of December are not the same thing.''
''Yes, they are.''
''No, they're not.''
Leaning back in his seat, Dick crossed his arms, a skeptical eyebrow raised.
''The first day of winter is the first day of December. Change my mind.'' he challenged.
Mason glowered at him for a silent moment...then a slow, evil smile crossed his face as he reached for his commlink, tapping in a code before holding it up with a smirk as the comm started beeping. ''Oh, I won't have to.''
''Please hold,'' the automated voice from the comm said politely, ''Your call is very important, and the recipient will pick up shortly. Please hold...''
Jazzy elevator music played after the message and the three boy- ahem - men, waited. Dick was unmoved (only slightly though. His foot was tapping to the elevator music beat under the table); Mason still had that smirk on his face; and Viper was just in-between the two of them and wondering what he had done to deserve them. Then, after an 'agonizing' three minutes, the music stopped and the comm beeped again.
''I'm sorry; the call could not go through. Please leave a message. Press 1 to do so. If you wish to cancel, please press 2. If you wish to try again, please press - ''
Mason tapped the 3 before it could finish and the elevator music came back. Other than that, there was silence, Mason and Dick's challenging gazes never really flickering while Viper refused to look at either of them, pulling out his own commlink and scrolling through the news.
Another minute went by...
''I'm sorry; the call could not go through - ''
Growling, Mason pressed three again...
''I'm sorry; the call could not go through - ''
Dick took this as an opportunity to completely and unabashfully laugh in his friend's face.
''It's been six minutes and I can't remember what you were trying to do, but whatever it was, it didn't work! HA! What were you planning, pray tell?''
Glowering, Mason muttered as the same 'could not connect' message played.
''Something about you being wrong about it being winter already...''
'' -If you wish to try again, please press three. If you are one of these three men: Dick, Mason, or Viper or all three, please press four for a recorded message. If you- ''
''Wait, what?''
They all straightened. Why would someone be so...unless...
Dick shot a glare across the table to Mason.
You were calling Titan weren't you?
No one someone could have such a grasp of their character as to create a line soley for them. A second later, the commander's voice sighed in the record.
''Gents, chances are, if you've gotten this message, it means you've been trying to get to me a handful of times in rapid succession. If I haven't picked up by now, it probably means I have been trying to avoid it as much as possible...unless I have the impervious opportunity to be captured or dead but most likely just trying to avoid picking up the comm.
''No hard feelings.
''Now, if you want to reach me, try calling again, except add a 2 at the end of the line and I'll know you have a 'good' reason to call me so I don't have a reason to ignore you...and by 'good' reason, I mean an emergency; not someone is complaining about someone's opinion about the seasons. If that's what this is about, I don't want to hear it. Farewell.''
Making a face, Mason checked the time stamp which boldly declared that that message had been made merely five minutes earlier.
Oh the nerve...
Dick just clicked his tongue.
''Somehow, I'm not surprised. Who else would think of doing that to us?''
Viper raised his hand.
After giving him a hard time about that, Mason returned to the dilemma, tapping a finger against his chin.
''So now what?''
'' 'Now what' what?''
''How do I change your mind?''
''Oh, that!...You don't.''
''Okay. But you're still not right.''
''Yes I am.''
''How?''
''Because it's winter, I already said that. How many other people do you think actually believe that winter only comes at the end of December, eh?''
''What you want to take this outside and see?''
Oh...I didn't know that was an option...
Dick was quiet for a moment, tapping one finger against the tabletop before he looked up and (casting aside any and all dignity) replied, ''...Yes.''
Fifteen minutes, one recorded message to Titan telling him they would be late, two cups of caff from a tiny cart shop, two tables, a homemade banner, and an odd sighting of a partridge in a pear tree later, the pair (dragging Viper along after them) were set up in the central park to campaign their seasonal views (Dick's banner hanging from his table saying: The first day of December is the first day of Winter. Change my mind,' While Mason's merely pointed at Dick's and said: 'Do so'..Viper just stood behind a tree, trying to blend in inconspicuously) and see who agreed with who.
In the end, really it had been pointless since the only people who had really stopped to talk to them were some of their brothers who were off duty (for what good it did to further either of Dick or Mason's 'causes') and a handful of squirrels who Dick swore were out to kill him since the last time they'd met. Other than that, nothing had really happened and neither one had been willing to give in so it was a relief when Commander Fox himself walked over and said, ''Get back to the barracks, numbskulls,'' effectively ending their little polling station.
Well...ending the table questionnaire they had set up but not the debate, which had taken a decisive turn to the matter of how the jolly old man in a red space suit got around the galaxy in time as the trio entered the barracks.
''What?'' Dick raised an eyebrow, heading for the stairs to grab something before going to meet with Titan as he waved farewell, ''That's not even possible. That's why there's magic.''
Mason rolled his eyes as he headed off with Viper, ''Yeah, you know, it's called one of those small ships with a hyperdrive? Yeah, one of those.''
''No, it's not,'' he called, vanishing from sight at the top of the stairs, ''The holiday big man himself rides in a big pod racer in order to deliver the presents on time. Change my mind!''
This time (luckily for everyone else present), Mason didn't take the bait.
''No.''
Then he and Viper returned to the lounge and nothing more was said on the topic of the holidays...until later...
There tis! I had to do this one since...well, I mean, it is the first day of winter...;)
Change my mind.
Anyway! Hope you enjoyed! :} (sorry, got a little tired by the end XD)
Side note: Now, this was not inspired by the meme where someone is sitting at a table in the park with a banner that says, 'Change my mind', but once I got to that part, it certainly helped with the overall general place to take this chapter. :)
And I'm sorry for doing this to you, but just in case you wanted to know this (which I'm sure you didn't) here tis!
My Star Wars Clone Wars version of the Twelve days of Christmas.
(Just go with the general song but fill in the words with these. ;D)
#On the first day of winter, this writer gave to me! (Days change according to number...you know the drill)
#Twelve cups of caff
#Eleven little younglings
#Ten snidey Senators
#Eight tiny mouse droids
#Seven attacking battalions
#Six Republic cruisers
#Five crazy commandos!
#Four BARC troopers
#Three bounty hunters
#Two hidden Sith lords
#and one very angry Chosen One...
