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For a third time, Hera slid her stylus over the PADD, reading through her report. It wasn't that she was nervous, but –

No. It was exactly that she was nervous. Which wasn't something Hera was used to feeling, even when she had ample reason for it. She was even fairly certain it was something her captain inspired in her without meaning to. And yet, here she was, looking through her report, again.

Near the end, she rises from her desk, never looking up from the PADD. Hera carries it with her as she walks to the wall of her quarters, moving along it to the Replicator.

"Computer." There was a chime of recognition. Hera still didn't look up. "Water, ten degrees."

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Hera nods, smiling again.

"Go ahead."

A sandwich and tea for himself, a different sort of sandwich with bitter greens and a soup with a similarly strong taste for Hera, and once the Replicator's managed all that, Kanan turns and carries it over to her desk.

While setting it down --

"So what about this report has you all tied up in knots?"

Hera retakes her own seat (Kanan can take the chair across from her), accepting her food from him.

"I'm not -"

But she knows it's pointless to pretend with Kanan. She sighs, straightening her red top.

"I don't know. The captain always has a way of making me feel on edge."

Kanan sits on his chair the right way round this time, mouth quirking up at one corner.

"He's harder to read than most, which doesn't do much for my nerves, especially in high stakes situations. But that's not a problem for you, so . . . "

Kanan trails off, taking a bite of his sandwich, chewing, and swallowing.

"Any ideas?"

She shakes her head, picking up the spoon for her soup.

"I don't even think he means to do it. But every time we talk I feel like I'm under an X-ray."

Kanan lifts his teacup, though he doesn't take a sip yet.

"You think he's looking to find fault with your work?"

She thinks this over for a moment.

"I think if a flaw is there, he's going to notice it."

"I hate to tell you this, Hera," Kanan says, after taking a swallow of tea, "but even our great and perfectionist Captain has flaws. It comes with the territory of being alive."

"I know," she agrees, with a sigh.

"But he's my great and perfectionist Captain."

Edited 2017-08-10 05:29 (UTC)

"Never have I been so glad to not be a bridge officer."

Well, not full-time on the bridge, anyway. The perk of being a security chief.

Edited 2017-08-10 13:29 (UTC)

"Maybe I should be doing more to keep you on your toes," she says.

Staring down at her food does nothing to hide her smile.

So that's . . .

"While getting to see your face more is not precisely a hardship . . . please don't arrange for a rogue prototype AI to take over comms and ship systems?"

"... you need to be prepared for an emergency."

That wasn't an unreasonable test!

"And this is why I have confidence that eventually you and the Captain will get along like a house on fire."

It was kind of an impressively madcap sort of test, but reasonable?

It wouldn't be the first time rogue AI overtook a Starfleet vessel's systems. Kanan can blame whoever programmed the holodecks.

"Maybe what we need is a crisis."

But she leans forward, resting her head in her hands for a moment. "Pretend I didn't say that."

Kanan's lips twitch, even as he sighs into his cup of tea.

"I don't know what just happened here, I was drinking this fine replicated leaf-water."

Which is to say 'pretending that didn't just happen is fully engaged'.

Except --

"You're really antsy. Are you sure it's just the Captain?"

"There are a lot of things I could be antsy about."

She chews on her sandwich, thinking this over. Ryloth, her father, any of the problems on board currently simmering beneath the surface. But -

"Maybe he's just the only one I feel like I can't do much about."

Aside from move a comma back and forth a few times.

"You could try getting to know him when you're both not on duty?"

The slight curve of his mouth -- a little wry, a little self-mocking -- suggests he knows how that sounds.

"I know for a fact he frequents the rec lounge on deck 15 when he has beta shift off."

Hera takes a deep breath. It's not a bad idea, but it also doesn't make her feel any less anxious.

"Well then - you might have to try being a little less distracting."

"Oh no," Kanan says dryly, reaching out to brush his fingers across Hera's cheek.

"Anything but that."

"You're not doing a good job right now," she says, doing absolutely nothing to stop him.

Kanan grins, leaning over to kiss the tip of Hera's nose.

"If your report were actually not done, I'd be trying harder. I promise."

"Is that right?" she smirks, also leaning forward toward him.

The crackle of the comm activating is loud in the momentary silence.

"Commander Syndulla to the bridge."

The voice is smooth and understated, but very definitely to the point.

And that's about right, Hera can't help but think.

She leans back, giving Kanan an apologetic half-smile before she taps her badge. "I'll be right there, sir."