Drinking games

[for_everyone]

It was supposed to be an easy repair, fiddly but relatively straightforward. But then the stored replacement part was bad, every shop in town was out except for one, which was broken, and the repair to fix that made it an uphill slog to even fit it in the Ghost, due to Chopper and Zeb getting into a fight and leaving at least two drill bits where drill bits did not belong.

And since it was meant to be easy, everyone but Hera and Kanan is out at the cantina enjoying themselves and the two of them are here, exhausted, dusty, and covered in grease. The smell of welding torch is heavy in the air.

Then Hera rolls to her feet, shaking her head a little to clear it.

"You know what? This calls for a drink, and I've just remembered where I left some."

Comments

[for_everyone]

"I think he knows."

She doesn't sound worried, in any case. "So what, is it my turn now?"

[notallofus]

"Looks like, unless you want me to drink in penalty for being wrong?"

He is willing to do that, if necessary.

[for_everyone]

"I'm game if you are."

But she lets him decide that, as she thinks of her guess.

"When you started seeing other people," she says, slowly, as she decides how to phrase that, "the first girl you started seeing was older than you."

[notallofus]

There's a second where Kanan thinks how did she know, but then he huffs out a breath that might be a laugh. Better that than awkwardness, right?

(He knows exactly how she knows. He's predictable, okay?)

"Uh. Yeah, you got me there."

He takes two sip of his drink, one after another.

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't pity, but who can say now?"

[for_everyone]

"I doubt it was."

Hera wouldn't say predictable, but it does seem more like his type.

[notallofus]

"Yeah, well."

He is not going to blush, he is not going to blush. Maybe he should have just downed the entire cup instead of taking little sips -- too late now.

"Right. My turn again."

[for_everyone]

Hera, meanwhile, decides it might be safer if she stares up at the ceiling for a minute.

"You know, I'd like to drink again at some point."

[notallofus]

If she's going to be like that --

"If you couldn't fly, you'd go stir-crazy within a month."

[for_everyone]

Oh, that -

"All right, I'll drink, but you have to take another turn."

Because that shouldn't even count.

[notallofus]

"You said you wanted a drink!"

She can't have forgotten so quickly!

But yeah. Right. A less obvious truth, he can do that. It's just that so much truth is wound around with sadness, with loss, with the things that mark them as different. Ah, well. In for a credit chip . . .

"It bothers you that you're a good dancer."

[for_everyone]

Hera doesn't take two sips, but she finishes off her glass, and slides it to Kanan to refill.

"I wouldn't say I'm good." But it doesn't sound exactly like a denial, either.

[notallofus]

Kanan holds up his hands for a minute, in a 'I'm not saying anything' sort of gesture, and refills her glass.

Then, of course, he says something.

"Yeah, I know."

Anyway.

"Next up is you."

[for_everyone]

Hera looks back at him, biting her lip for a moment.

"You've cheated at sabacc."

[notallofus]

"Define cheating."

Does sensing other people's nervousness or excitement through the Force count?

[for_everyone]

"I think that's an answer, Kanan."

But hey, she's smiling again.

[notallofus]

"Fine, fine."

He grumbles as he takes his drink, but since making her smile was the point . . .

"You are good at counting cards."

[for_everyone]

Hera pauses, but does drink.

"But I've never done it for money."

[notallofus]

"Yeah, well." He huffs out a meditative breath.

"It was a good way to get enough credits to get out of town fast, back in the day."

Anyway.

"I guess it could still be true. Uh, not that I'm planning on trying it or anything."

They must never, never tell Zeb.

[for_everyone]

She raises an eyebrow, but doesn't press it.

"I just watched a lot of card games growing up."

Her father's fighters, clones, smugglers, pretty much anyone would get bored at some point, and counting cards as she watched had come naturally to her. And maybe she it had been one of her tactics to get aboard ships, but. That doesn't count as 'for money,' right?

"You were quiet as a kid."

[notallofus]

Kanan can't quite help it, he barks out a helpless laugh, shaking his head.

Give him a minute.

"Uh, yeah, no. I'm pretty sure my friends would have paid me in cold, hard credits to stop asking every question under the sun. My -- "

The memories hurt, they always hurt, but maybe for this thin slice of time he can push that aside without taking the rest with it.

" -- teachers would have doubled it, easy."

[for_everyone]

Hera grins, at first.

It fades slightly as he speaks, but she closes her eyes, lifting her glass to drink again. Under the table, she brushes her foot against his.

"Your turn."

[notallofus]

He nudges back, gently, while thinking about what to say next.

"Every morning, when I wake up and stumble in to get my first cup of caf, you are incredibly grateful that Twi'lek are an essentially hairless species."

Kanan knows he has bedhead for days, okay? He is well aware.

[for_everyone]

"Yeah, that's not only true in the morning."

But she takes another drink anyway.

[notallofus]

Kanan is not pouting into his drink. Really he's not.

Seriously.

"I thought the ponytail worked pretty well."

[for_everyone]

"I don't have a problem with how it looks."

Really.

She does not.

"But I'm glad I don't have to deal with it."