fulfilling a promised lesson on the fine art of blasting things ...

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Walking back to the Millennium Falcon through the Nexus has gotten a little bit easier each time.  The first time, it took him more than an hour to get back despite the fact that his ship has always been parked about a thousand yards away from a path that leads to the forum.  The shiftable nature of this place makes no walk to and from anywhere as straightforward as it seems, but you can get used to it.

 

For a while, he cleans up the areas that he thinks both he and Verity are likely to be in for a while - the cockpit and the lounge especially, but also near the entry ramp and the living quarters.

 

He did promise lessons on how to fly and in due course, he will get her into the sky with him ... but he's still doesn't have a ton of fuel yet and the priority was always teaching her how to use the blasters.  So he's pulled four weapons out of the storage lockers, completely disassembled them and cleaned them.  He also discharges all, but one, of the plasma magazines.

 

They get placed them on top of the holochess board, which, sadly, is among one of the biggest flat surfaces available to him on the YT-1300 and then, he takes a shower and slips into a light weight pair of pants.  It seems to take a long time for him to drift off in the small bunk that he's claimed for himself.  The sound of the winter wind skips across the surface of his ship and makes a low howling sort of sound.

 

This is one of the reasons it's always preferable to put your ship in a proper hanger, but, when you're Han Solo, you work with what you got.  After a few hours he wakes up, not knowing what time it is, until he opens the entry ramp and looks outside.

 

It seems too early for her to arrive.  The sun hasn't even reached the apex of it's path yet, so he decides to lay back down.  Leaving the ramp down for her to facilitate her letting herself in. 

Comments

[brave_heart_verity]

Verity always tries to set out for wherever she's going with plenty of time to spare. The Nexus is built on shifting sands, and if that's not the problem, there's usually someone in need of directions to shelter or help to find their way. This is one time her curse is helpful: the illusions and mirages hold no sway over her. So she gets to the Falcon with time to spare. Time to stop and wonder why the ramp is down when there's no sight or sound of Han.

"Han?" She waits outside for a few minutes, straining to hear him. There are no sounds of anyone moving around inside, but better safe than sorry: first she sets the basket of goodies down, then she pulls a thin strand of metal out of the braids restraining her hair and gives it a snap. Just in case. An unnecessary gesture but one Samus would be proud of. "Oh captain, my captain..."

Would it surprise Han that her search is both quiet and methodical? The former, and also the latter, are how she finds him; although how she finds him is a surprise. But, well, space captain. What care would he have for local solar cycles? She's tempted to leave him be. She's not sure he'd appreciate that... or being woken up... or her having found him like this.

Might as well bite the bullet. Will a gentle shake to his shoulder be enough to wake him?

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Han has a hard time sleeping. It's a chronic problem, partly him and partly his life are to blame, but it's all made worse by having to subject his ship to this miserable weather. The Falcon isn't sleak enough not to be noisy when subjected to heavy wind.

He intended just to get another hour or so rest and be ready to greet Ver at the ramp, but fate seemed to have other designs. Of course, he gets the most solid sleep he's had in the last twenty-four hours right before his guest was supposed to arrive.

Though the ramp being down was a contingency in case he did oversleep; he didn't want her stuck outside in the cold. And he cleaned up before laying down. So, he didn't completely screw this up, right? What becomes problematic is Han not being used to woken up by anything but a furry hand. Any other time he's been woken up from sleep by a human hand, it was for a bad reason (or a reason that seemed bad in hind sight).

With a speed that is downright frightening for a man who was sleeping moments ago, he's reaching under his pillow for the blaster he keeps there and suddenly, pointing it at her in a ferocious blur. If one wasn't afraid of having a blaster being pointed at them, you could find grace in the clearly well trained movement - it being the Nexus and the anti-violence field being a thing, maybe she isn't. The safety is off.

Pink hair?

It's Ver. Shit.

He drops the weapon and let's his DL-44 clatter against the durasteel of the ground harmlessly.

"I'm sorry." He says, voice still thick with the sound of sleep. He swallows hard and clears his throat, shaking his head.

[brave_heart_verity]

The antiviolence field is great.

But she's seen what happens when it fails.

No worries about whether she's scared here: she's terrified. It's one thing when Samus has a weapon during training and Ver's supposed to disarm her. It's a whole other thing to have someone who isn't aware of who she is or what's going on pointing a loaded and deadly weapon in her face.

It's by the grace of the gods that she doesn't try to do what her training is telling her to do: fighting back, trying to disarm him, would end badly for everyone. Instead, she freezes up, wide-eyed and barely breathing until he drops the gun. Even when it hits the floor she doesn't move right away. When she does, it's to take a slow step back.

"...no. I shouldn't have surprised you like that. My fault. I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Oh, they can fail? He doesn't know that. That would be very interesting for him to know, should someone decide to clue him in on that. In fact, right now he's trying to comfort himself by the fact that he couldn't have hurt her, even if he had mistakenly pulled the trigger.

Han is now sitting up in the bunk that services as his bed. Apart from the doorway, which she is now backing toward, there is a set of bunk beds against each wall, with Han being in the lower level of the one the right wall. There is also a tiny sink, toilet and shower as part of this set up, but the room itself is hardly bigger than a walk in closet.

He gives himself a second to compose himself the best he can and then he pulls himself out of bed and up onto his feet. She'll get a good view of the scars he has on his torso and arms while he's reaching for the nearest shirt he can grab.

"I'm fine." He says with a slow bob of his head. "You're okay too?"

[brave_heart_verity]

(He can come to the memorial with her some time, pay his respects if he wants; right now is not the time to be thinking about it.)

Somehow, seeing the scars makes it easier. It's something to focus on that isn't his face and isn't a full retreat. They make him real and vulnerable, the way she's feeling. Her lower lip has found its way between her teeth; when, she can't be sure. She makes herself look away when he starts getting dressed, her cheeks flaming hot.

"Yeah. Startled, but so long as you don't tell Samus I froze like that, I'll be fine."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

It's not so much being dressed as it is being covered, since he's not switching out of the dark blue, relatively drapey pants that were serving as his pajamas. At least not at the moment, anyway. Perhaps when she's not looking in on him, maybe he'll get dressed for reals.

Still, the scars do make the impression. To the point where they just might take away how otherwise nice he is to look at, but not to the point that anybody, but the incredibly shallow, would reject him over it. They tell the tale his life and Han is, at his core, vulnerable.

Later he'll reflect that, for someone who began their meeting yesterday put off by his proximity and touch, it was quite a step forward to have her willing to enter his bedroom and try to wake him easily. It's a shame he rewarded her progress by pointing a gun at her.

"You think she would hear this story and think, 'oh, you should have disarmed him'?" He says, pulling a white long sleeve on over his head.

[brave_heart_verity]

He tucked her in when she fell asleep. He's earned a huge amount of trust from her. So much that even the gun thing isn't going to scare her away. If he's really good, she'll be hugging him soon.

"Yeah." Verity brushes some stray hair out of her face before explaining why she's so certain about that. "She's been training me in self-defense. She finds out about this, and training's going to hurt a lot more for a while." This isn't going to stop her going, she isn't even really complaining: it's all optional and she can stop at any time. But she won't.

"I'm going to just go out into the hall so you can get dressed now." Oh look who just remembered she should do that.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

If what it took to impress her was making sure she had a blanket before he creeped out of her place then, then hey, he just might be able to meet her standards. As it is, let's be honest, being acquainted with Han dramatically increases your chance of having a blaster pointed at you, even when he likes you.

Han is listening when she brings up her training though. He remembered her bringing up that she was working on self defense before, but he didn't remember her ever mentioning that Samus was her instructor. It just ... seems like an odd reaction to the story to him 'Han pointed a gun at me.' 'Did you kick his ass for it?' 'No.' 'You are such a disappointment.'

Women. Understanding them is hard.

Worth it, but hard.

"Well, I don't plan to talk to anyone about it." For what that's worth. He's not sure if he's more embarrassed by nearly shooting at her or being caught half dressed when he wasn't expecting to be. Han thinks he's good looking enough, he supposes, but sometimes it takes a little liquid courage to get naked in front of someone.

Plus, it's not as if Ver has been taking him up on every advance he sends her way. Rejection, even when it's kind, will have an effect on confidence.

Han nods. A little space for him to get his clothing on would probably be good. Here comes the rest of his apology. "I should have been awake when you got here. I meant to be, but I spent most of the night not being able to sleep."

[brave_heart_verity]

As high-class as he's convinced himself she is, Ver's a lonely child at heart. It's really not hard to impress her: these little caring gestures mean the world to someone who's been starved of affection. He might know what that's like.

Is it so strange that a trainer would see their student having stumbled and resolve to work harder to teach them better habits? Aside from that: yes, trying to understand Verity is probably a losing proposition. Samus is a whole other matter. Literally alien, despite appearances.

"Thank you." The relief is real. It's not that she doesn't like the view, but she knows she shouldn't be looking. It's like walking past a bakery while on a diet: lingering to stare only hurts more. Except this time, the pastries have feelings too, so it's twice as important to be stern with herself.

"It's okay. People have all kinds of sleep cycles here, and if I'd known coming this early would interrupt yours I would have suggested later. So now we know: I should run errands before I visit." An easy solution is the best thing, in her mind; it lets them move on. She turns to step into the hall, mindful to keep away from the blaster abandoned on the floor. When she's in the doorway she adds over her shoulder, "Besides, you're cute when you're sleeping. Like a puppy."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Yes. Odd to him. Perhaps it's a little bit of a sexist frame of thought, but he can't see to female friends talking to each other that way? Covert sexism more than overt. Not 'wowen can't do that', but more 'I never pictured a woman doing that. Aren't they supposed to be better with feelings?' They're doing things that don't fit into his preconceived notions, anyway.

The situation with his sleep was a little bit more abnormal than usual, but yeah, the evening kinda jives with Han better than the afternoon. The only thing that's consistent about sleep/wake for him is it's inconsistency.

"Cute is not something I get accused of very often." Sometimes a woman will slip and call him handsome, when they don't realize that stroking his ego creates something of a monster. It's good to knock him down a few pegs once in a while. It builds character and keeps his head from getting planet-sized.

Anyway, he'll dig out something to wear and start changing. There's no door in and out of the sleeping quarters, because sometimes you really just have to sprint out of bed and take care of something. He's turned away from her, but unable to truly keep her from peeking again, if she was so inclined.

He keeps the shirt, puts his favorite pair of pants - which ultimately doesn't look that much different than any other pairs of his pants apart from a distinctive red stripe running down the side seam, and a black vest to go on top. His style, somewhat miliary and somewhat not, is distinctly him. Also, his more important accessory is accounted for, as always. The thigh holster that he favors, strapped to his leg and his blaster picked up off the ground, placed in it.

[brave_heart_verity]

Watching their training would probably blow his mind if he's having a hard time thinking of Samus as a badass. If he's really unlucky, maybe he'll be invited to join in. What's a three-mile run full of random ambushes between friends?

"No?" She's not peeking; she's not even taking advantage of any reflective surfaces. She's taken a step away from the door and is leaning against the wall while she waits for him, head back and eyes closed until she hears him coming. When he comes out he can get a better look at her: a sweater that wraps around her like a hug, and those strange blue pants everyone seems to wear. "Probably for the best. I'd never get to see you when you had all that attention from other women. And then who'd teach you about music?"

Ego management is something she's well-practiced in. Being friends with actual gods makes it a requirement and a game. Of course, they were using her; she's aware of that. She doesn't care enough to not go right back to it. (When Loki admits it was toxic, there's really no question a relationship needs serious work.)

"So, assuming you're not leaving your ship open regularly, how do I let you know I'm here? Is there a doorbell or something?"

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Oh, he's known incredible female warriors. He'd wager some of the toughest people he's ever known to be women. It's more the literal idea of the verbal exchange that he found odd. Also, running for three miles? He's not sure he could keep up with that. He's more of a steal the nearest speeder kinda guy.

Now that he's clothed, she could look in without fear, though he has another brief minute or two of grooming and hygiene to attend to. Scruffy as he is reputed to be, he doesn't go anywhere without deodorant and his teeth brushed. He's not gonna take the time to shave now, but, he also rarely goes unshaven unless it's just him and Chewie.

"Right." He says as he begins a comb through his hair. "All the other women. None of them have tried to culture me with music, I have to admit."

It doesn't take him long. He's just making sure his hair won't completely embarrass him in the mirror above the sink. As for the ship, "I'll teach you how to get in." He says simply. "You'll make a lousy pilot if you can't get onto your vessel."

[brave_heart_verity]

It'll be an education one way or another.

She'll continue to give him his privacy, patiently waiting; it's not like she's in a hurry. Besides, watching other people brush their teeth isn't her idea of a good time. Some things are better left in private.

"There'll be other women." Of this, she's sure. "Music isn't always high-class, you know. Where I came from, there were genres that were considered so base as to be a threat to morality and the foundations of society. Sex and drugs and rock and roll are so dangerous, you know."

The promise of easy entry in the future gets a smile, even if he can't see it. "And a lousy crew member if my captain always has to open the door for me."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Where's your sense of adventure, Ver? You can learn a lot about, wait ... no. No you can't. Best let a man be when he's trying to clean himself up.

He's hardly going to protest against other women. It just doesn't seem like a battle worth engaging in. Besides, he and Ver are ... friends? Does it matter if there's other women? Does it matter to him if there are other men? This are deep questions to ponder while taming a cowlick.

"Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll, huh?" On the one hand, it sounds kind of appealing. On the other hand, also, like people are trying too hard to sound edgy. "What do you think about it?"

He puts his comb down and, at last, joins her in the adjacent corridor to his living space. Yeah, he sees you smiling, girl. He finds that he likes the sight of it.

[brave_heart_verity]

Her sense of adventure ran away screaming about five minutes ago.

"I like some of it. It's good for dancing and has given voice to people who had no way to demand society's attention before. Personally, I can do without the sex and drugs, but I'm not going to fault people for wanting that sort of thing." Any yearnings she might have had have been so timid and usually so badly-aimed that she's spent most of her life convinced she doesn't feel anything at all. Another way to isolate herself. "The music you liked last night had a lot of rock and roll influences."

She straightens up when he comes out, giving him a quick looking over; she approves. He is very handsome and she can't help but like to look at him. Then she gives him a playful salute. "You're looking well today, my captain."

If he doesn't want that to be a pet name, he'd better squelch it quick.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

To be fair, her sense of adventure (and the rest of her) had a blaster pointed at it.

His relationship with the word Captain isn't that he completely disapproves of it. He likes it well enough. What it reperesents to him is an achievement of some kind in a life that doesn't have a lot of other things to point to. If nothing else, he was at least 'the captain of the Millenium Falcon.'

No, what bothers him was the way his father ... his adopted father used to insist that he be called 'Captain Garris Shrike' (or at least Captain) by everyone on board the Trader's Luck. What made him flinch in that bar? Was the implication that he could or would force people to do the same with him.

Still, the salute is a bit much and he gives her a brief look of surpise before settling into a smile. "At ease." He says. "We don't get that formal on this ship."

"I'm glad you approve, though. Sorry, I didn't get to the shave."

[brave_heart_verity]

It'll come back. Most of her parts are cat-like: contrary and adorable.

It couldn't be a term of endearment if it were forced. When she offers it, it's meant to convey a friendly affection and sense of pride in knowing him. As far as she's concerned, he's an accomplished man by having survived so much and done well for himself.

The salute was an attempt to make him laugh. Ah, well, not every joke will rise to the occasion. She lets her hand fall to her side again and gives a little shrug. "Good to know. But that's not going to stop me from teasing you sometimes. And don't worry about not shaving, being a little scruffy suits you."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

She got him to crack a smile. Not every joke is gonna really kill it. Sometimes you just quietly amuse people and he was definitely that.

The comment about being scruffy does make him chuckle a little bit, surprisingly. Less at what she said, and more at the memory of the first time he had gotten that complement. Man, he misses Dewlana. There's not a day that goes by where he doesn't wish he could talk to her one more time.

"You're the first human to ever tell me that." He tells her with a thoughtful nod. He's mostly happy about it, but there's a touch of sadness. "So, do you want the tour of the ship first or shall we get right to the blasters?"

[brave_heart_verity]

Quiet amusement is more her speed anyway. She can live with it quite happily.

There's something there he's not quite telling her. She can see some of the shape of it, like a silhouette in the dark. It's a puzzle to keep to herself until she has enough pieces to ask the right questions. "Am I? Well. I am a classified weirdo."

She hums thoughtfully before admitting, "Tour, please. And I brought lunch. Breakfast for you, I guess? It just needs to be kept cold for now, so I left it outside by the ramp."

He'll learn quick that she's fascinated by the ship. Especially the analog parts--she's never seen analog computers in person before. There is a whole new field for her to study now; it can't be any harder than learning to code for digital computers, she's sure.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

There's breakfast and she's gonna make him give her the tour first? Augh. Dang. If he would have know there was food, they would have been doing this in a different order.

"I tend to think it makes the most since to start where you came in." He says, after a moment. The ship is circular, for the most part, so in some ways it doesn't matter, but when you're also teaching someone about the way the ship works ... he thinks certain parts should be highlighted toward the beginning. Ramp. Cockpit. Quad lasers. Life support. Sunlight engines. Hyperdrive. Then the rest you highlight while walking around.

[brave_heart_verity]

He'll learn that food is important to her. Not the eating so much as the sharing. Being able to offer people something tangible that says 'I care about you'. Being able to do something, anything that feels useful. The simple act of sharing a meal with someone means so much when everything else has been turned upside-down.

And that means she'll be bringing food more often than not. At least he'll be eating well?

"That makes sense," she agrees. She's already had a little look around while looking for him, but that doesn't mean she knows what she was looking at. So: she's attentive and curious, and careful not to touch anything that might be a lever or button. Just in case. "There's so much to remember... do you have artificial gravity?"

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Hey, he's all for eating if she wants to cook. The first person who ever, truly, showed him love was through food, even when he couldn't understand her language. The idea that she will want to connect with him in that way will endear him to her in a way that, will most probably, be pretty profound.

"Yeah, the ship adjusts for gravity and temperature automatically when all the doors are closed, but there are manual overrides as well, if something's not right."

They walk to the far side of his ship, back to the open ramp where it is notably cooler.

"So, this side of the ship is the starboard side, commonly known to layman as the right side." He gives her a brief second to digest that piece of information. He's trying not to go too slow or too fast. "If there's one thing I want you to remember about the ship today, it's how to get on an off the Falcon."

He highlights the panel that controls the ramp from the inside. The buttons itself look like an old fashioned key pad, (not unlike an old touch tone phone of earth) but where the numbers would be are numerals of a language that is alien to her. Still, it's not a hard combination. There's only four digits. She just needs to memorize the pattern.

When Han punches it successfully, the ramp raises. A green LED blinks because, he did it right.

"This button clears your keystrokes, if you did it wrong." He's gotta show her that too. As the ramp is now closed, he shows the sequence to her again without touching the keys. Just to help her memorize.

"I want you to try now."

[brave_heart_verity]

She only looks this shallow. There are surprising depths to Verity Willis.

"Wow. Sounds like something Tony Stark or Reed Richards would build." Because those jerks never shared the really cool stuff with everyone else, it's still alien and impressive to her. (Capitalism really fell down on the job when nobody made a Moonland theme park in the Blue Area.)

"Port is left, starboard is right. It was the same back home." It's not entirely unfamiliar, then; even if this is the last time she understands how something work, she can hold onto the one thing she knew.

The keypad is studied curiously and she pays close attention to the code. Four 'numbers', that shouldn't be too hard to remember. Right in the sweet spot of what a human memory can handle easily. Four and a clear button. She can handle that.

The question will be, will she remember it in an hour? After a meal and several distractions? Because right now, it's easy.

"What language is that?"

[twelve_not_fourteen]

It's good that somethings are universal in every galaxy like port and starboard. He smiles and nods. Good. He's impressed. "Do you know the terms for front and rear?"

Oh, don't worry Ver. He's gonna make sure you remember at least one to two more times on the ramp code. In fact, not that he was planning a lot of getting on and off the ship today, but you'll probably be on ramp duty for the rest of the day.

"So, many of the parts on my ship are not the original parts." Sometimes because of price, sometimes because of accessibility, the parts can be superior in some cases and inferior in others. It all depends on what he can get his hands on.

"So if you thought Corellian, in this case, you'd be wrong. These numbers are Haya. They speak it on a world called Sulistan."

[brave_heart_verity]

Impressing him is even better. She smiles and offers, "Fore and aft?" She's great at boats ships!

Good. She wants to get this right and takes every kind of education seriously. The fact this is important helps. He's trusting her with free access to his ship, which is a remarkable thing. And if he ever needed her in an emergency... she hates thinking about that sort of thing, but she can't help it.

"Haya, on Sulistan... I build computers as a hobby. I've taken parts from here and there to rebuild one good system out of several that had issues, I think it's similar?" Yes, the girl knows how to work with her hands. Delicate work, but still. She can make things. "I think finding the best part for the job is better than having everything match anyway. Form follows function."