Reposting an older fic I recently rediscovered that I had never put up here.
Title: Perfectly Normal
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Category: humor, romance
Timeframe: New Republic; one week after VotF
Summary: Luke and Mara discover that being a couple includes facing unexpected challenges.
This, Mara Jade thought as she trudged irritably up the stairs toward Luke's apartment, was not what she had signed up for.
It had been a week since the signing of the peace treaty between the New Republic and the Empire, and of that week, Mara estimated that she and Luke had spent a grand total of ten hours together. Yes, Luke was an important figure in the New Republic. Yes, he had major responsibilities to the Jedi order and the Academy. Yes, she was integral to Karrde's organization. Yes, she had an outrageously long list of things to do and Shada to train besides. But they'd just gotten engaged, for stars' sake, and that after years wasted being distant and wary. It was positively indecent that the galaxy couldn't leave them alone for even a week.
She reached Luke's floor, exited the stairwell, and stalked down the hallway. She'd always rather liked the layout and decor of this apartment building; it was spacious without being grandiose and elegant without being pretentious. But today she barely bothered to glance at the intricately tiled mosaic floors or the minimalist Chandrilan paintings scattered tastefully along the walls, her energy instead focused on the irritation that Luke's apartment would have to be the farthest one from the emergency stairwell.
Coming at last to the familiar door at the end of the hall, Mara punched in the access code with swift efficiency. The door took mere seconds to respond, but in her current state of mind it seemed a deliberate opponent, doing its best to keep her separate from her intended husband that much longer. She waited impatiently, slipping through and into the apartment before the door had finished opening. It slid shut behind her, and Mara cast it a dirty look for good measure as she reset the lock code.
"Hi," Luke's voice called from further inside. Mara took off her jacket, shook the final raindrops off of it, tossed it on the entry hall table, and went in search of the man attached to the voice.
She found him in the living area, seated on the couch and frowning at a datapad. He looked up as she entered. "Hey."
"Hey," she said with a sigh. "The fifteenth level turbolift is out again."
"Again?" Small lines appeared between Luke's eyebrows as he frowned anew. "Third straight time. I'd almost say it knows when you're coming."
"And has it in for me, just like everyone else." Mara plopped down very ungracefully beside him and put her feet up on the low table before the couch with an audible thonk of boot heels.
Luke set his datapad down and slid an arm around her shoulders. "Bad day?"
"Busy day," she answered, resting her head on his shoulder. Funny, how quickly she'd become accustomed to small affectionate gestures like that. "Same as always. You?"
"Same," he said, sighing. He stroked her hair lightly, and Mara let her eyes drift shut. She breathed in slowly and deeply, feeling tense muscles begin to relax. "Your hair's damp," he murmured. "Raining?"
"Barely," she murmured back. Luke stroked her hair a few more times, then tightened his arm around her and leaned his own head against hers. There was a long moment of comfortable silence. Mara thought drowsily that she could easily fall asleep right here, like this—but their time together was still too new and too precious to waste sleeping.
She sighed, then sat up straight again, pulling away from Luke slightly and taking her feet off the table. Luke rested his arm across the back of the couch and watched her wordlessly, his Force sense as lazily peaceful as she herself felt. Outside this apartment, the galaxy waited for them both to dive back into the fray, but when they were alone together like this, all concerns seemed to fall effortlessly away. Mara still wasn't quite sure how that worked, but it wasn't something she felt inclined to question.
She leaned down to unlace her boots and draw them off. Setting the discarded boots off to the side, she tucked her feet underneath her and leaned back into Luke's embrace. "I wish it could be like this all the time," she said softly.
Mara felt the smile she didn't see. "Actually, it would drive you crazy," Luke said. "But it would be nice if it could be like this a little more often." He sighed. "It'll settle down eventually, Mara."
"Before or after we grow too old to appreciate it?" She tilted her head up to receive a kiss, and drew her fingertips softly down his cheek. "We're still on for tonight, right?"
"Short of Coruscant's sun going supernova."
"Not bad odds, then." Mara shook her head. "Get engaged, then go on a first date. More proof, just in case any was needed, that we couldn't be normal if we tried."
"Normal is overrated," Luke said. "So I'll pick you up for dinner later?"
"Sounds good," Mara replied. "Dancing afterward, right?"
"Right," Luke said, making a face.
Mara shoved his shoulder lightly. "You like dancing even if you don't want to admit it. I've talked to Leia, you know. And after that, the night's entirely ours?"
"My first appointment is just after noon tomorrow," Luke said, grinning at her.
"That'll do," Mara said, and drew him close.
Mara finished dressing a quarter hour early, and checked her appearance in the mirror. Her dress was an older one, but still stylish and she was fond of it. Significantly, she also knew that Luke liked it. They'd attended the same social function a few months ago, and she'd seen his expression when he first caught sight of her. She had to admit that the snug-fitting bodice and flared knee-length skirt did highlight her slim figure, while the deep blue-green color complemented her complexion and eyes. Her shoes were silvery and strappy, with higher heels than she normally wore. Ordinarily she preferred more practical options, but if she was only going to be sitting at a restaurant and then going dancing, she might as well go all out.
She'd left her hair loose and fairly wild, the way Luke had said he liked it best, with only a comb for decoration. She particularly liked the comb because with just a few twists, it could be converted to a makeshift blade. She would have to remember to ask Shada where she'd gotten those lacquered zenji needles she often wore; they'd be marvelous for more formal occasions.
Mara smoothed her skirt and fluffed her hair, then made a face at herself. She had always paid careful attention to her appearance, and there had been many times where she'd dressed specifically to attract or distract. But this was different, vastly so. This time her appearance mattered because she genuinely cared what another person thought of her. She was on uncertain ground here, and she didn't like that at all.
Yesterday afternoon flashed to mind, as well as Luke's promises for tonight, and Mara caught herself smiling. Uncertain ground, yes, but there were compensations.
Ah, well. She hadn't expected things to stay the same after accepting Luke's proposal anyway, had she? She'd just have to get used to it. She'd handled everything else life had thrown at her; she could handle this, too.
Mara smiled once more at her reflection, then sat down in front of her computer and flicked it on. There were still ten minutes before Luke would be arriving, and she might as well get some work done.
Half an hour and two completed reports later, Mara was still at the computer, switching between files ever more irritably. She checked the chrono for the fifth time in as many minutes, and was just about to head for the comm unit when she sensed a familiar presence. She sighed and remained where she was. A few moments later, her door clicked softly and slid open.
"Sorry I'm late," Luke said a little breathlessly, striding to her side and leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Tionne commed me with some reports she wanted my approval on. I didn't think it would take that long."
Mara took a breath, ready with a peevish retort—and then she caught Luke's gaze and saw the anxiety there. Biting her tongue at the last moment, she turned her eyes back to her computer and began closing files to buy time as she considered a proper response. Tonight was supposed to have been set in permacrete; it was their time and their time alone, no interruptions.
But . . .
Flipping the computer's power switch, she glanced up at Luke again. He stood waiting patiently, calm to all outward appearances, but she could feel in the Force how he wanted to fidget, and she reproached herself for nearly adding to his worry. He was trying, the same as she was. Of course there would be missteps along the way. That was all right; they'd get the hang of this relationship thing eventually.
"It's okay," she said, and found that she meant it.
Luke smiled at her with obvious relief, and Mara took a moment to assess his appearance. He was dressed very nicely indeed, even stylishly. She rose from the chair and reached up to land a kiss on his cheek in return. "Not bad at all, farmboy. Didn't know you had it in you."
"Thanks a lot," Luke said, wrinkling his nose at her.
"Well, you never wore anything like this on Yavin," Mara said. She kissed him again, softly, to take the sting out of her words. He responded immediately, sliding his arms around her waist, pulling her close. Mara slipped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer yet. The kiss drew to a slow, tender end, and Luke nuzzled her throat briefly before pulling back enough to meet her eyes again.
"Never had a good reason to dress up on Yavin," he murmured. He smiled at her, and Mara smiled back before she realized it, warmth spreading through her. "You ready to go? Or do you just want to stay here tonight? I'm sure we could find a way to occupy ourselves."
Mara grinned. "Oh, I'm sure. But you're not getting off that easy. You promised me dinner and dancing, remember?"
His arms tightened around her, just perceptibly. "That's what delivery services are for. And you have plenty of floor space here if you want to dance."
"Later," Mara said, twisting sinuously out of his grip. "We have to go be normal. We can't get married without going on a real date first. What would everyone think?"
Luke snorted, then managed to recapture her waist, though more loosely than before. "They'd think it was perfectly in character. I'm not sure even Han and Leia and Talon are convinced we understand what we're doing yet."
"So let's go convince them." Mara brushed nonexistent dust off the shoulder of his jacket and readjusted the lapels, surprised by the intimate sense of possessiveness that washed over her. He was hers, this man that she'd never expected to love, and she was his, and for reasons she couldn't begin to explain, Mara rather liked the idea of showing off this new turn of events.
She reached behind her back to capture his hands in her own, gently pulling them away from her to reposition his arms at his sides, and grinned at the face he made. "Let me get my bag and—"
The beeping of the comm unit stopped her midstride, and she leaned over to see the incoming number. "Leia?"
"Leia?" Luke echoed. "Did the two of you have something planned? I'm sure I told her we were going out tonight."
"No, nothing planned," Mara said, frowning. She had a bad feeling about this. Stepping in front of the comm's camera, she reluctantly tapped the "accept" switch and forced a smile. "Hello, Leia. How can I help you?"
Onscreen, Leia was turned more than halfway away from her own comm's camera angle. "Anakin Solo, put those tools down right now! Threepio does not need a diagnostic!"
Mara's bad feeling deepened. "Leia?" she repeated.
Leia turned toward more fully toward the comm, donning a smile that few would have seen through. "Mara! Have you seen Luke? I tried his apartment, then his personal comlink—"
Luke stepped into view, raising an eyebrow at the image of his sister. "I'm right here, Leia. I turned my personal comlink off. Nothing short of a full-stop emergency, remember?"
Brown eyes widened remorsefully. "Oh, your date! That's right. Well—" She glanced off screen, then back at Luke and Mara. "I was hoping you'd be able to watch the children for a few hours. Something's come up, and Gavrisom asked if I could join an impromptu Senate meeting, and with Han and Chewie away—"
"Ask Winter," Luke said firmly.
"I did," Leia said, then broke off again. "Jacen, I've told you, the lizards stay in the cages. Put them back right now!" She turned back to face Mara and Luke. "Winter's unavailable. I suppose I could leave them with Threepio . . ."
"He's watched them plenty of times before," Mara reminded her. "And with the Noghri helping, he should be fine."
"True," Leia said, frowning slightly. "Though lately—well. That's not your problem. I'm sure they'll be fine." She smiled at them again, and it was genuine, if distracted. "I'm sorry to have interrupted. You two have fun."
Luke eyed Mara sideways. "Oh, we will."
Leia groaned. "I told you not to do that in front of me, Luke. Do I do that to you?"
"You certainly have," Luke said with a grin, sliding an arm around Mara's waist.
Mara rolled her eyes and shrugged helplessly at Leia, who sighed, her eyes meeting Mara's to exasperatedly say, Men, as clearly as the spoken word would have. Mara grinned back at her. This having a sister-in-law business was kind of fun. She hadn't quite realized before what an ally it gave her.
"Have not," Leia said, returning her attention to Luke and making a face at him. "And if you say 'have so', Luke Skywalker, you're in trouble." She made shooing motions at the comm. "Off, you two. I'll see you later." She blew a kiss toward Luke and smiled at Mara, then killed the transmission.
"Not a nice thing to do to your sister," Mara pointed out, crossing her arms and turning away from the comm unit to look at Luke sternly.
"She'll get over it," Luke said, leaning close to kiss Mara's temple lingeringly. "I had to deal with more innuendo than that when she and Han first got married. And for years before, too. And years after, come to think of it. Turnabout is fair play." He released her waist reluctantly, then curled a lock of her hair around his finger and watched it unwind itself. "Come on, let's get out of here before someone else decides they need our attention."
"Good point," Mara admitted. She retrieved her evening bag, then took Luke's proffered arm. "Ready when you are, farmboy."
Luke smiled at her, his eyes soft and proud, then led her gallantly from her apartment. Almost unconsciously, Mara fell back into the long-ago habit of walking like a courtier, her gait graceful with back straight and chin held high, to match his formality. One-track mind he might well have, but Mara knew that this night meant as much to Luke as it did to her, and if he wanted to offer courtly gestures, she could certainly do the same for him.
It's going to be a lovely night, Mara thought to herself, and tried to ignore her misgivings over the way it had begun.
She almost succeeded.
Luke's speeder was sleek and well-maintained, and he drove it like the fighter pilot he was. The evening was warmer than usual for early summer, and even with Luke driving faster than he really should, the wind that whipped Mara's hair left no chill. Watching the orange and red streaks of sunset spread over the sky, Mara gave herself over to the joy of sheer speed and precision, while resolving to outdo him the next time they should take her speeder.
Luke pulled into a parking slot outside the restaurant just a little too fast to be considered safe, and shut the engine down smoothly. Mara raised an eyebrow at him as she ran a hand over her disheveled hair. He grinned in return, exiting the speeder and circling around to open her door. Mara stepped out with deliberate grace, brushing against him slightly as she did so.
"Not nice to tease, Mara," he murmured into her ear as he leaned past her to shut the door.
"Who's teasing?" Mara asked, widening her eyes innocently.
He merely rolled his own eyes back at her, then took her hand. Mara tightened her fingers around his briefly, smiling as he brushed back a few stray tendrils of her hair with his other hand, the look in his eyes soft and warm and amused.
The long walkway that led to the Ithorian restaurant they'd chosen was lushly landscaped, a definite rarity on Coruscant. Slender trees draped graceful branches over the path, while vines dotted with tiny purple flowers twined around their trunks and dripped over the branches, mingling with the gray-green leaves. Smaller white and gold-flowered bushes nearly covered the ground along the sides of the walkway and even reached into the walkway itself, and the pale, rich scent of blooming greenery hung heavy in the air.
The entire atmosphere was one of quiet contentment, and Mara found herself relaxing more than she had in months. She was absently trailing her free hand through the leaves within her reach when something small and thin rolled beneath her shoe. Luke's hand caught her upper arm, steadying her, but not before she'd nearly fallen. "What the—"
"There," Luke said, pointing. Half a meter in front of them, a small lizard with pale blue scales reared up and hissed, then fell back onto all six legs and dashed into the undergrowth on the path's other side.
"Well, how stupid is that thing to step right in front—" Taking a step forward, Mara stumbled again and looked down to find the lizard's detached tail lying where she'd been standing, along with the heel of one of her shoes. "Oh, shavit." She bent down to pick up the heel, eyeing the still-twitching tail as she did so. "That's really disgusting."
"But useful. To the lizard, anyway," Luke said. "Are you going to be able to walk, though?"
Holding the snapped-off heel in one hand, Mara took an experimental step. The intact shoe's heel clicked daintily on the permacrete, followed by a less ladylike clomp from the broken one. Mara planted her fists on her hips as she looked down at her feet and scowled. "Walk, yes. I'll just look like an idiot, that's all. And I sure can't dance like this."
"You don't look like an idiot," Luke said soothingly. "You look beautiful, and once we're sitting down, no one will see your shoes. We'll stop back at your place before we go dancing so you can change shoes, or fix those."
Mara sighed, but the alternative was to go directly back to her apartment for new shoes, which would mean missing their reservation. Luke's expression was far too hopeful for her to do that to him. "All right."
She took Luke's hand again and tried to maintain her earlier feeling of contentment as she click-clomped the rest of the way to the restaurant's door, but Mara had been trained from earliest memory to move with conscious grace and her inevitable limp bothered her more than she'd admit. Luke said nothing, but sympathy was prominent within his Force sense. Mara sent a sense of gratitude toward him and concentrated on not losing her balance again.
The maitre'd greeted them with a sweeping bow. "Good evening, gentles. How may I help you?"
Even though Mara had spoken with Ithorians a number of times, the stereo effect of their multiple throats still had her furrowing her brow for a moment before she understood his words. Luke beat her to the interpretation. "We have reservations," he said. "Two for Skywalker."
"If you'll allow me to check the list," the maitre'd said, "I'll be right with you."
Mara watched him for a moment, then allowed her attention to wander over the restaurant itself. Most of the tables were surrounded by greenery draped over silver lattices, creating a feeling of seclusion. Much of the plant life seemed to be the same as outdoors, and the scent of the flowers mixed with the organic, unprocessed scent of Ithorian food. The result was different, but not unpleasant. Mara decided that they had chosen well, although she hoped the six-legged lizards stayed in the plants outside rather than in.
The maitre'd was speaking again, but Mara let Luke handle it as she continued to observe their surroundings. He was better at understanding him anyway—
"That can't be right," Luke protested, bringing Mara's attention back with a jerk.
"What can't be right?" she demanded.
The maitre'd spoke again. Mara only caught a few words, and looked sharply to Luke for a translation.
"They seem to have lost our reservation," Luke said, slight tension creeping into his voice.
"Oh, wrong answer," Mara said, glaring at the maitre'd. "Wrong, wrong answer."
She click-clomped forward, only to be restrained by Luke's hand on her arm. "Don't."
Mara turned her glare on him. "Don't what?"
"Whatever it is you're thinking," he said, pinning her with a glare of his own. "I don't need a Force-bond to read that expression, you know. We're here—" he took a deep breath "—to relax. Not maim people or destroy property. Let me take care of this."
She folded her arms across her chest and eyed him, then waved an open hand toward the maitre'd's station. "Be my guest, farmboy."
"Thank you." Luke glared at her one last time, then headed toward the maitre'd.
Mara refolded her arms and watched, tapping the toe of her broken shoe. Luke spoke quietly to the maitre'd, and was answered by that oddly stereophonic voice. Luke's voice again, polite but insistent. The maitre'd gestured at him placatingly, but Luke only spoke again, lowly. Mara sighed and turned her attention back to their surroundings.
In only a few minutes, Luke rejoined her. "You can stop tapping now."
Mara raised her eyebrow at him and tapped her foot twice more with slow deliberation before stopping. "Oh?"
Luke shook his head at her, his attitude a mixture of affection and exasperation. "Yes, dear. I took care of it. We'll have a table in a few minutes."
"Well done, dear," Mara said with wide-eyed and fawning admiration. "However did you manage it?"
"Oh, stop that," Luke said, rolling his eyes.
Mara linked her arm with his and slid her other hand up to his shoulder. "No, seriously. How much did it take?"
The corners of Luke's mouth twitched. "I didn't bribe him."
Mara widened her eyes again, as theatrically as she knew how. "Not the mind trick!"
"Do you always have to be so difficult?" Luke asked wryly.
Mara paused for a moment's thought, then nodded. "All part of the deluxe package. Sure you don't want to retract your offer?"
"You're not getting off that easily," Luke said with a grin. He slipped his arm around her waist and guided her to the plushly upholstered couches in the waiting alcove. "You haven't told me much about how work is going this week. How's Shada's training coming along?"
And that was a subject that Mara could get behind, because she unexpectedly liked this replacement of hers—liked her quite a lot, in fact. Shada was quietly intense and fiercely competent, a good listener and a quick learner, and far more. In the week they'd been working together, Mara had also learned that Shada had a wicked sense of humor, excellent aim with a blaster, and shared Mara's own fondness for watching smashball tournaments. Beyond all that, Mara also suspected that Shada was more than a little attracted to Talon, and he to her, but neither was willing to admit it. Mara's conscience told her that she had no right to tease another about being slow in that aspect of life, while another part of her wanted very much to tease them both mercilessly. She had so far resisted, but it wasn't easy.
She'd found considerably more than a trainee in Shada. She'd found a friend, potentially a very good one.
So caught up in the subject was she that it was fifteen minutes later before Mara realized that they were still firmly seated in the waiting area and not at a table.
"I know," Luke said when she pointed that out. "I was going to go check on that when you were done with your story."
"I'm done enough," Mara said, frowning toward the maitre'd, who in turn spared them not a glance. "I can tell you the rest once we get a table. I don't like this."
"All right," Luke said, standing and absently tugging his jacket back in place. "Wish me luck."
Unable to resist, Mara began, "There is no luck, only the—"
"Oh, shut up." Luke headed back to the maitre'd, who at first, Mara could tell from her vantage point, tried to politely brush him off. Luke persisted, but the Ithorian's body language radiated unconcern. Luke eventually managed to engage him in conversation, but despite the Ithorian's placating gestures, Mara could tell that he was in no hurry to accede.
She sighed and waited, resignedly assessing the decor once again, as she brushed a stray bug off her arm. On second thought, there might indeed be too many plants in here.
It was several minutes before Luke returned, holding his arm out to her. "They have a table. Let's grab it before they change their minds."
"You're kidding," Mara said, raising an eyebrow as she stood and took his arm. "What finally got him moving?"
Luke sighed. "I bribed him."
Click-clomping as discreetly as she could manage, Mara followed Luke, who followed the maitre'd. They wound through the restaurant at a dignified pace, passing tables nearly hidden by clever architecture, artfully arranged greenery, and the occasional green-tinted curtain, their existence hinted at mostly by the low murmur of conversation from within—and, of course, the aroma of the food.
Mara found herself mentally identifying each scent as she caught it: shaak steak with crushed spices, warm bread—that dark crusty kind she particularly liked, with a type of cheese spread on it, she was sure—tangy asper root, the dry scent of Chandrilan green wine. She had skipped lunch earlier, and now despite her irritation over the lost reservation and ensuing wait, Mara decided that she would happily forgive all if dinner tasted as good as it smelled.
After a longer walk than Mara would have believed possible in the compact-looking restaurant, they reached a table surrounded on three sides by greenery-draped lattices. It wasn't quite as elegantly hidden as many other tables they'd passed, nor as quiet—subdued though the sounds were, she was certain from the occasional clank of metal on metal that they were near the preparation area. Still, the abundance of plants muffled the sound well. Surely it wouldn't be a problem. In all other aspects, the table looked lovely. It was made of a type of glass that sparkled rather than shimmered, the edges were etched with an elaborate scrolled design, and it was sized for two, lending it an air of coziness.
Luke looked at her with cautious hope in his eyes. "Looks promising."
"It does," Mara agreed, almost cheerful again. Maybe this night would turn out all right after all. Smoothing her skirt gracefully, she slid into one of the polished blackwood chairs, Luke making a belated attempt to hold it out for her as she did so. Mara shook her head at him, amused. "I'm not that fragile, Luke."
"I'm trying to be romantic," he pointed out. "You could cooperate a little."
"I'll cooperate later," Mara said, sending a wave of promise across their bond. "Sit down yourself so we can place our drink orders."
He did so, but as he turned back toward the maitre'd, they found that he'd already disappeared. Mara frowned. "So far, the service here stinks."
"It'll get better," Luke said with an air of grim determination better suited to the battlefield than a high end restaurant. He didn't need to say, It had better.
Mara reached across the table to pat his hand. "It's okay. The company's still good."
Luke smiled at her, some of the tension in his shoulders bleeding away. "True. Finish telling me about work. What were you saying about Shada and Shirlee?"
"Oh, right," Mara said, brightening. "Well, several of the ships were in port at one of the outposts, and Aves had this brilliant idea of pitting the men against the women in a sabacc game."
"Strip sabacc?" Luke interrupted, raising his eyebrows with theatrical lechery. Mara slapped his arm.
"Get your mind out of the gutter. Even Aves wouldn't be foolhardy enough to suggest that one. And you'd better not be thinking about Shada or Shirlee or anyone else on the losing end of a strip sabacc game."
"I'm not," Luke protested.
"Mmm," Mara said suspiciously. "Anyway, what Aves didn't realize was that Shirlee used to make a living as a sabacc hustler. So she and Shada and H'sishi all lost just enough rounds to make Aves and his cohorts drop their guard, then she dropped the heavy end of the hammer on them. Cleaned them out. The men wound up hand-detailing the Starry Ice's hull. Shirlee and Shada and H'sishi are still going around looking smug."
Luke laughed. "I knew I liked Shirlee Faughn. Aves should know better than that. You'd think all his time working with you would teach him not to underestimate the potential sneakiness of a woman."
"Flatterer," Mara said with a grin. "What about you? How goes the academy?"
"Not bad," he said. "Tionne has a new idea for teaching the youngest students . . ."
Luke finished that story and another, and Mara told him of Karrde's plans to overhaul half of the ships in his fleet. Luke pointed out that the Kuat driveyards had a new modification available for the type of cruiser Karrde often employed, and Mara promised to pass the information on, then the conversation trailed into a slightly uncomfortable silence as each of them looked at the other and around their table.
"Um," Luke said. "Am I going crazy, or have we been here kind of a long time?"
"We've been here kind of a long time," Mara said, sighing. "Suppose anyone even knows this table exists?"
"Someone must," Luke said, looking grim again.
Just then a slightly tarnished serving droid whirred up to their table. A few dents glimmered darkly in the low light, and a prolonged squeak preceded its words. "G'evening, gentles. Drinks tonight?"
Mara felt her eyebrow rise. She glanced at Luke, who visibly sighed and gestured vaguely toward her. "A dry red wine, please," Mara told the droid.
"V'good," the droid wheezed. "Sir?"
"Same," Luke said.
The droid made a noncommittal clanking sound and whirred off again. Luke looked at Mara, and she patted his hand comfortingly again. "It's okay, Luke."
"This place had such good reviews," Luke said apologetically.
"Well, the atmosphere is lovely," Mara said, determined to find something more positive to focus on. Luke was looking decidedly less cheerful than he had when they had first arrived, and for all his show of grumbling about going out, she knew he'd actually put a lot of effort into arranging this evening for them. It wasn't his fault that the local lizards didn't stay out of the walking path, or that the restaurant didn't live up to its reputation. She glanced at the vines that wove their way through the trellis that separated their table from the rest of the dining area. "What sort of plants are these?"
"I don't know," Luke said, glancing at the vines in his turn. "Nothing I'm familiar with. Pretty, though."
Mara fingered the leaves behind her, noticing that the stems and lower leaves were beginning to gray. "What do you suppose is wrong with these—what—" Mara yanked her hand back, but the tingling sensation followed. She looked at it more closely, and found several tiny arachnids scrambling madly around on her flesh. She shook her hand violently, shaking the arachnids off, and stood to examine the plants behind her more closely.
"What is it?" Luke stood, concerned, and came to look with her, then jerked back at the multitude of tiny arachnids that were now swarming from the base of the vines. "Stang! How many of those things are there?"
"A lot," Mara said, eyeing them. She poked a prominent vine stalk carefully, then shook more arachnids off her hand and took a step back. "Well, I guess now we know why this plant is withering."
"Well, we're not going to sit here with them," Luke said, a slight shiver running through his shoulders. "Are you sure there aren't any more on you?"
"Pretty sure," Mara said, tamping down the smile that threatened. Luke's dislike of bugs still amused her somewhat, understandable though it was, but she wasn't any more anxious to share the table with the arachnids than he was. "Getting another table seems unlikely, though. Look how long it took us to get this one."
"They'd—ow!" Luke jumped.
Mara spun, hand reaching instinctively for the blaster that wasn't there, then jumped herself as two glasses' worth of red wine splashed her as well as Luke. "What the—"
The serving droid tilted its head at them in a nearly human gesture. "P'rdon, gentles," it said, and extended an arm to retrieve the glasses from the floor and set them back on the serving tray it carried in the other hand. The glasses promptly fell off again with a clatter, the tray being held at an alarming slant due to what appeared to be a snapped stabilizer in its carrying arm. "P'rdon, gentles," the droid wheezed again, and repeated the performance. Mara and Luke watched silently as wine continued to drip slowly off them. Mara blinked wine out of her eyes and looked at Luke, who stood as still as a statue, watching the droid.
"Mara," Luke said very calmly, "how much would you say two glasses of wine cost? Twenty credits?"
"Something like that," Mara said, watching him warily.
"My bribe covers it, then. And then some." Still dripping, Luke stepped around the droid, carefully picked up Mara's bag, shook a few stray arachnids off, handed it to her, and took her other hand. "Remind me to leave my own detailed review of this place on the HoloNet after we get cleaned up."
"P'rdon, gentles," the serving droid whirred, dropping the glasses yet again.
"Shut up," Luke said, and led Mara out of the restaurant.