Luke took the flower out of his hair and threw it on the deyjarik table. His face, usually so healthy-looking, was pale.
"I'm going to bed," he announced murderously, and stomped past Han and Leia to the crew quarters.
"Where's your date?" Han called after him.
They heard the muffled answer through the closed door, "I don't want to talk about it!"
Leia used her elbow to poke Han gently in the ribs. "Don't tease," she said in an undertone.
"And it wasn't a date!" Luke shouted and maybe threw his boot at the door, because a loud thump sounded.
Han looked at Leia with his brows up a little. "You had an appointment," he said loudly, still looking at Leia. "With someone you arranged to get to know. That's a date."
Another loud thump hit the door of the crew quarters.
"The person claimed he was Luke's brother," Leia said. "You don't date a brother."
"Speak for yourself," Han said. "It so happens that on Trigorah siblings can bond."
"That has nothing to do with Luke, and Trigorah is plagued with genetic conditions, due to inbreeding." Leia raised her voice. "What happened, Luke? Are you alright?"
"Nothing!" Luke shouted. "No!"
Leia couldn't help a small smile despite Luke's mood. "Come out and talk to us!"
"I knew it from the start," Han declared.
"Did you," Leia said.
"Yeah. How many brothers want you to put a flower in your hair?"
"Not many," Leia acknowledged. "If I were a long-lost sister, I'd send a holo of me in advance so the person would know who to look for."
"Exactly."
Luke shouted from the crew quarters, "He pointed a blaster at me!"
Han winced, and Leia said, "I was afraid of that." She raised her voice so Luke could hear, "That's why Han and I were waiting up. It seemed suspicious."
Han lifted the discarded flower from the table. It had four large pink petals, with a deep yellow stamen protruding out of the center. He put his nose into the cup-shaped flower. "Smells nice."
Leia wiped pollen from his nose. "Luke," she called. "Should we report?"
"It was a date," Han said dismissively. "You want to embarrass him in front of command?"
"I suggested he tell them from the start," Leia said. "But Luke, you know what family means to him. The idea of family. It's so... genuine. It was very cruel of this person, whoever he was, to do that to him."
Luke apparently could hear their discussion. "He pointed a blaster!"
Han peered around Leia at the floor. "He's not hurt, is he? See any drops of blood?"
"I thought they were meeting at a restaurant," Leia said thoughtfully. "Strange place to pull a blaster."
"Probably left." Han put the flower over Leia's ear. "There. Shouldn't waste a perfectly good flower."
"What are you doing with my flower?" Luke demanded to know from the crew quarters.
Han was having a memory. "I had someone pull a blaster on me," he said thoughtfully.
Leia scoffed lightly. Her fingers gingerly touched the flower. "Just someone? Not fifty or a hundred?"
"I'm talking about dates, sweetheart."
"My answer stands." She smiled. "Did you say something offensive?"
"Now why would you ask that?" But he was smiling too. "Got a little bit past the date. Matter of fact, I wasn't wearing any clothes."
"Somehow I'm not surprised. Were you wearing a flower down there?" Leia looked suggestively at his pants.
Han laughed. "Princess, I'm blushing." He reached for the flower in her hair. "That's an idea, thought. Let me see how it-"
Leia clapped her hand over his on the side of her head. "Don't you dare," she laughed.
"Why are you two laughing," Luke wanted to know.
"Come out here and tell us about the brother with a blaster," Han said. "It's my flower," he told Leia.
"I bought it for him. Let me see how it looks on you." Leia slipped the pink flower behind Han's ear.
"Does it bring out my pink skin?" he asked.
"I'm hoping it will bring out your brains."
They heard the door slide back but Luke didn't appear.
"Was it role play?" Leia asked.
"Was what role play?" Han looked puzzled.
"The time you were naked and looking at the wrong end of a blaster."
"Kid, do you hear how she's talking?" Han called. His eyes were twinkling. "I'm scandalized."
Luke slumped into the lounge and sagged into a seat next to Leia.
"That's some poor posture, there," Han observed. Leia jerked her leg into his to quiet him.
"I don't appreciate you guys making light of me," Luke sulked.
"We're not, Luke," Leia soothed. "Of course not."
"We're just making light," Han added. "Since you're not talking to us."
"He's not my brother," Luke told them.
"We figured that, kid. So what was he, bounty hunter? Imperial spy?"
Luke shrugged and didn't look at them. "Just a common criminal."
"Beyond common," Leia said as if it would cheer Luke to learn this. "He went to some effort to get to you."
"Yeah," Han agreed. "Could've just mugged you."
"He recognized me. Wanted to get the reward."
"Without any back up? For capturing the elusive Red Five? Yeah, he was common," Han turned to Leia. "But he did have some imagination, I'll give him that."
"I did too, for falling for that bantha crap," Luke sulked some more.
"Don't beat yourself up, Luke," Leia began.
"Chalk it up," Han advised. "Learn and move on. Take me. Since my blaster episode, I now remove their clothing myself, so I can frisk them."
"That's how you're still alive," Leia teased.
"Or that was his only dalliance," Luke said.
"Luke!" Leia leaned back and gaped at him. His obstinance slipped a little and he smiled slyly.
"Someone's feelin' better. Your con buy you dinner at least, kid?"
"No," Luke admitted. "We had drinks. He said there were holos back at his place."
"Oh, Luke," Leia said, and squeezed his hand in sympathy.
Han heaved a sigh. "Guess I'm cookin' again." He removed his flower and tucked it in Leia's hair. He used a finger to tilt her chin up. "Looks better on you."
He disappeared to fetch Luke a plate of something, and Luke and Leia looked at each other, both wearing shy smiles.