Week Six Kessel Run Challenge: Write a story of at least 500 words in which one of your favorite protagonists/heroic characters is the antagonist/villain. This can be an AU, but it doesn't necessarily have to be. A/N: Thanks to Viari for coming up with the title for this chapter!

The Art of Flirting (Nico Jade, Rielle Amalyse, Mara Jade Skywalker, 13 ABY)

Nico Jade was having trouble concentrating.

Normally this wasn't a problem, and he especially hadn't expected to face it here. He only had one semester left to complete his degree, and with some extra space in his schedule, he'd signed up for an advanced drawing class just for the fun of it. Much of his art focus in university had been on the drafting that would be needed in his later engineering work, and while he enjoyed the precision and clarity of that pursuit, it wasn't the same as the more creative art that he'd always loved. This class had been a chance to indulge that preference while also advancing his overall artistic skills, and he'd been looking forward to it for several months.

The problem wasn't the class. The problem was one of his classmates.

They definitely didn't share any other classes. He'd have noticed. He'd definitely have noticed.

He continued to steal glances across the room at her as he sketched the rough outlines for the day's drawing. Long brown hair, so dark that it was nearly—but not quite—black, drawn back into a loose ponytail. Pale skin and delicate features; wide, expressive eyes of pale blue—like the sky in very early spring or late autumn, when the air was crisp but not cold, with high, thin clouds that cast the palest of gray tinges over the expanse. A lightweight, slightly crumpled shirt of very nearly the same shade as those incredible eyes, with nondescript black leggings and slip-on shoes, and a silver pendant on a chain as slender as a thread.

Nico took each of these details and logged it away in his mind, already imagining how he'd paint a portrait of her.

Maybe you should try talking to her first? He could almost hear Corissa's laughing voice. She'd always teased him about what she considered to be his egregious lack of girlfriends over the years. Cheerful and outgoing, Corissa was always popular and had never lacked either friends or boyfriends, and while she was surprisingly good at respecting his own more reserved nature, that didn't stop her from noticing any time he happened to so much as look twice at a girl, and pestering him to follow up on that interest. Not all the pointed looks in the world were enough to dissuade her, nor were his protestations that just because he thought someone was pretty didn't mean he necessarily wanted to go out with her. There was more to a relationship than physical attraction, and Nico had never been interested in something shallow. You could always admire someone in passing, and approach them later on if there seemed to be more there to indicate a deeper compatibility. And anyway, no one wanted his little sister trying to set him up.

But maybe he could try talking to this girl.

He glanced over again, only to catch her glancing at him. Their eyes met, and swiftly Nico turned back to his drawing, feeling his cheeks heat. He wondered if she was blushing too, and had to force himself not to look.

Between trying not to look at her and wondering if she was looking at him, the class was almost over before Nico realized that he could have been spending that time planning what to say to her. Corissa was right, he was really bad at this.

"That's it for today," the professor said, and Nico grimaced, both for his lack of preparation and for how lackluster his drawing was. Sighing, he slipped it into his portfolio and began to gather his pencils, glancing over toward the girl as he did so. She wasn't looking at him this time, instead putting away her own supplies, and he picked up his own pace, hoping to catch her in the hallway.

He was heading for the classroom door before he realized that that had been the wrong tactic, too. She had gone the other way and was now talking with the professor. She lifted a hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and Nico wanted nothing more in that moment than to stand there and watch her.

Which would totally make him look like a creep. He didn't need Corissa to tell him that much.

Okay, he told himself, slowing his pace but maintaining his course. You can find an excuse to hang around in the hallway, can't you?

As it turned out, he couldn't. Instead he hung in the back of the crowd of exiting students, then pressed himself against the wall and watched through the edge of the window in the door until the dark-haired girl turned away from the professor and began walking toward the door, then reentered the room himself. She caught his eyes and hesitated, a hand again lifting to sweep her hair back. "Hello."

"Hi," Nico said, searching frantically for something wittier than that to say. "I, um, thought I left my portfolio here."

Her eyes drifted down to the case he held under one arm. "Isn't that it?"

"Oh," Nico replied, lifting it as though he'd never seen it before. "I guess it is. My mistake."

She smiled. It was a nice smile, he thought. "I'm Rielle."

"Nico," he said, bravely holding out a hand.

Rielle shook it. "Nice to meet you, Nico." She began walking again, and he fell in step alongside her. "Are you an art major too?"

"Engineering, actually," Nico said. Her voice was as soft as her eyes were, and he hoped fervently that he wouldn't mess this up now that he'd gotten a real chance to talk to her. "But I've been drawing since I was a kid."

"Me too," she said. She glanced up at him, then back at the path ahead of them. "Engineering is impressive. I don't think I could do it."

"Well, my dad's a hyperdrive mechanic. Well, I mean, he can do all sorts of mechanical repairs, but he did specialized training for hyperdrives," Nico explained, agonizingly aware that he was babbling. Corissa would never have been so awkward in front of someone she liked. "So I was always around that sort of thing growing up, you know? I thought about going into art professionally, but I really like ships, too. I'm hoping to work my way up to being part of a design committee for one of the big manufacturers eventually."

Rielle smiled at him. "So engineering and art blended together."

"Exactly," he said, relieved. "At least, hopefully."

"I'm sure you'll get there," she said. "I really never wanted to do anything but art, so I sure hope I can make a career out of it."

"I'm sure you will," Nico told her. He hesitated, then, "Are you taking the shuttlebus? Maybe we could sit together."

She smiled again, and he thought it was even a little brighter than last time. "I am. I'd like that."

They had reached the coatroom by now, and took turns holding each other's portfolios and bags while each put on their coats and Rielle pulled a pair of snow boots over her light shoes, then they headed out onto the grounds, chatting more easily now. Although it was the middle of winter, the weather was on the mild side, with only a light dusting of snow and air that was crisp without being biting. The late afternoon sun was nearly to the horizon, its rays gilding everything they touched, and the prettiest girl he'd ever seen was walking with him, with the whole ride home to talk to her, and Nico thought he was as happy as he'd ever been.

Until Rielle's next words.

"That woman is watching you," she said. "The redhead up ahead, to the left."

With an effort, Nico suppressed a groan, then turned to look. Sure enough, it was Mara. She looked as inscrutable as she always did, but Nico knew her well enough to see the assessment that was going on behind her eyes.

Great, just great.

They were too close to Mara now for him to answer properly, and she didn't give him the time to do so anyway. Mara pushed herself upright from the low wall she'd been leaning against and almost smiled at him, that lift at the corners of her mouth so slight that people outside the family rarely recognized it for what it was. "Nico. Thought you'd like a ride home. You turn your comm off?"

"Yes," he said, gritting his teeth. "Comms off during class. Standard procedure. I must have forgotten to turn it back on."

A single slender shoulder lifted with deliberate grace. "Well, these things happen. I suppose you were—" Mara paused for half a breath to glance at his companion. "—distracted."

He was going to kill her. He was definitely going to kill her. "Mara," Nico said, "This is Rielle. We met in class. Rielle, this is my sister, Mara. She and her husband are visiting us this week."

"Ah," Rielle said. "Your sister."

There was a glint in Mara's eyes, and Nico concentrated hard on thinking don't you dare at her. He might not be Force-sensitive himself, but Mara would pick up the general emotions easily, and unlike Corissa, would probably respect them. Probably.

"It's nice to meet you," Rielle continued, unaware of the silent almost-conversation occurring an arm's length away. "Is it just the two of you, or are there more siblings in the family?"

Mara laughed. "Just our little sister, but she has enough personality for a half dozen more. People tend to forget that Nico and I exist once they meet Corissa."

Rielle smiled at Nico. "I'm sure that's not true."

"So," Nico said, silently cursing Mara and her amused gaze. "Will you be in class next week?"

"Definitely," Rielle replied. She glanced briefly at Mara, then back to Nico. "I had fun."

"Me too." Nico tried to forget that his sister was still standing right next to him, watching and listening to every word. At least it wasn't Corissa. "I'll see you then?"

Rielle smiled again. "See you then."

"It was nice meeting you, Rielle," Mara said, putting on a smile broad enough to be acknowledged as such.

"Nice to meet you, too," Rielle replied, then continued toward the transit park.

Mara turned to Nico, the smile shrinking back down to her normal barely perceptible almost-smirk.

"Don't even start," he growled. "Where's the speeder?"

"In the visitors' lot," Mara answered innocently, while her expressive eyes danced. "Where else would it be?"

Nico glared at her, then turned toward the lot. Mara fell into step beside him. "You know," he said irritably, "she's taking the shuttlebus home. I was supposed to do that too. We could have had at least fifteen more minutes to talk."

"You'll see her next week," Mara said, completely unimpressed. "Did you give her your comm code?"

"No, I didn't. Because my sister showed up in the middle of our conversation."

The half-smile was back. "I noticed that she was relieved to find that I was your sister."

Nico stopped in mid-stride to let his head fall into his hands. "Oh, my gods, Mara," he muttered. "Why are you even here?"

"To pick you up, idiot," she replied, bumping his arm with her shoulder to nudge him back into motion. "Mom wanted me to pick some stuff up from the store and I figured I might as well come by and give you a lift while I was at it. I didn't know you'd be flirting."

"I was not flirting," Nico told her through clenched teeth.

"You were totally flirting," Mara said. "You should be grateful; I could have invited her over for dinner."

"You—"

Mara waved him off. "I didn't do it, did I? She seems nice. Pretty, too."

"Mara, I swear—"

"No swearing," his sister said, her eyes sparkling with silent laughter. "You know how Mom hates it."

"You're a real pain in the ass, you know that?"

"Of course I do. I'm insulted you'd think I didn't." They reached the speeder, and Mara unlocked it and slid into the driver's seat. "By the way, you're going to offer to do the dishes tonight, out of gratitude for my not inviting—Rielle, was it?—to dinner, thus subjecting her to Corissa's enthusiasm and Luke's reputation before you have a chance to hook her."

"You," Nico informed her, choosing to ignore that "hook her" business as he took his own seat, "are delusional. It's your turn."

"Privileges of being the eldest." Mara started the speeder and left the lot, merging smoothly into the traffic flow in front of the university.

"That excuse doesn't fly at our age," Nico told her.

Mara glanced from the traffic to him, eyebrows lifted. "Luke tells me that I should have had a good fifteen years of actual authority with you two before you started ignoring me—"

"He's really overestimating that time frame, you know."

"—and it's not my fault I missed those years," Mara continued, ignoring his interjection and turning her attention back to the traffic. "We're still on make-up time here. You don't get to ignore me for at least thirteen years."

"Wrong," Nico said. "I am absolutely ignoring you now."

Mara only smirked.

Luke met them at the door when they arrived home, tried unsuccessfully to take Mara's shopping bags from her—"I could carry you if I had to, and you know it," Mara said, exasperated. "That's not the point," Luke replied, equally exasperated—then gave up and greeted Nico instead. "How was the art class?"

"He made a new friend," Mara said, smiling sweetly at Nico.

For all her talent at telepathic communication, Mara was clearly just as skilled at hiding her true thoughts even from another Force-sensitive, even if that other Force-sensitive was her own husband, because Luke only smiled genuinely at Nico. "You should have invited them to dinner."

"That's what I said," Mara agreed, and Nico excused himself to escape to his own room, and stayed there until dinner was ready.

Fortunately there was enough conversation at dinner to keep Mara occupied during dinner and after, and although she gave him a few amused looks throughout the evening, he escaped the fate of having the whole family do the same.

Still, he remained acutely aware of that possibility until it grew late enough that people started drifting off to bed. Mom and Dad, with the shop to open early in the morning, were the first to go, followed by Corissa, being sensible for once in her life and deciding to get some extra sleep in preparation for a school audition tomorrow afternoon. Luke and Mara remained for another half hour, but eventually they headed to bed as well. Nico trailed them, catching Mara's arm as they reached the upstairs landing, and Mara raised an eyebrow at him, then shooed Luke off to the guest bedroom, assuring him that she'd be right there.

"Thanks for not saying anything to the rest of them," Nico said, once the bedroom door had closed behind his brother-in-law.

"It's not mine to tell," Mara replied with a shrug, then smiled. "Though I am glad I was there for the show myself."

Nico made a face at her. "I haven't—well, I haven't dated a lot. I'm not great at this sort of thing."

"I'm sure I wouldn't know what that's like," Mara said dryly, and suddenly Nico remembered that Mara had never dated anyone but Luke. The knowing expression she wore was enough to let him know that she'd picked up on that thought. "Look," she continued, "if Rielle is the right person for you, none of that will matter. And she was definitely interested, so you're probably better at this than you think you are."

Well. That was encouraging on all fronts, Nico had to admit. Still— "Don't you dare tell Corissa about any of this."

Mara snorted. "Like I'd throw you to the gundarks like that."

Nico felt himself relax at last. "She's terrible."

"The worst," Mara agreed, smiling softly, and her eyes positively sparkled as she caught his gaze again. "But she'll find out sooner or later, and probably sooner. You know how she is. You'd better hook Rielle on your own merits before she gets showered by Corissa's glowing commendations of you, baby brother." She placed a hand lightly on his shoulder and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, then disappeared into the guest bedroom.

"I am not "hooking" anyone," Nico muttered, but he couldn't quite suppress his own smile. Sisters were definitely the worst.

Except for when they were the best.