The best part of luck is that it will change ...

[twelve_not_fourteen]

'It's nice to have things going right for a change, isn't it?'

Fourtity came in peeks and waves for him.  Now and always.  Bad fortune was always sure to come.  Knocking him down, often, and dragging him under waters that seemed far to cold for any one man to withstand.  Tides so strong he had to wonder how he could possibly manage to find his footing again and stand; while the sea threatens to swallow him up.  The crash, again and again - eroding earth into sand.

As surely as the cruel tide of misfortune comes, however, so too does the gentle peace of fortune.  A time to sink his feet into the sand and catch his breath again.  Soaking up the light of the sun as it's rays reach all the way in.  When they finally get in, the beams stoke something inside of Han that is powerful.  Something that is easy for him forget about when he's been so busy trying to keep his head above angry water.

Your peace, Han Solo, comes in the form of a plan finally coming together.

It makes him smile in a way he just can't help.  The Captain walks through the Nexus and even the sounds of his boots striking the ground seem different, today than they did days ago.  The steps lengthened.  His footfalls lighter.

This morning, if you should find yourself out and about, you'll find Han in the parklands of all places.  He is nursing black coffee from a tall paper cup.

Comments

[mybadhabit]

"You seem to be in an unreasonably good mood." Sonic appears out of nowhere, easily falling into step next to Han. The slinky catsuit's been swapped out for a tracksuit, and he walks with his hands stuffed into his pockets. "Did you get a chance to go home and visit your business partner?"

[twelve_not_fourteen]

"I guess I am in a good mood."

Han murmurs with a shrug. It's that ninja he seems to have acquired again. Did they even exchange names last time? Maybe, they did and it didn't stick, rare that Han forgets a name after an introduction, but not impossible. It's not as if he'd been trying to make a friend when they crossed paths ...

"No." The Captain shakes his head and takes another sip of his drink. "I've been stuck here for about a month or so. Haven't been able to leave."

[brave_heart_verity]

A smiling Han?

That's good, but... almost kinda worrying. So Ver's going to hang back and watch him for a minute, trying to work out what's changed, and maybe just enjoying it while it lasts.

What was she doing out here? Good question. By the look of things, picking flowers, and not for their looks. She's got a basket full of all kinds of things, plants and the tools for harvesting them, and a pair of gloves she's peeling off to tuck in the basket when she finishes the approach.

"Gorgeous day, isn't it?"

[twelve_not_fourteen]

He hasn't really known a lot of people like Verity for a number of reasons, but one of the things that ... he supposes he appreciates about her is the way her life seems so different from his. The only thing that equated even a little bit was that month he spent with his Aunt and his Cousin, in their home - but even that wasn't that close.

The idea of a life tied to a single location and making the best of that you can. Working a regular job and keeping regular hours. It's been interesting to observe her and remind him that ... just because most of the people he associates with are scoundrels doesn't mean everyone lives that way. He'd almost forgotten.

"The sun here," he begins, "It's closer than most planets I've been on for any length of time. Makes it real nice when it gets out from behind the clouds."

[brave_heart_verity]

People gravitate toward the lives they want to live, like flowers following the sun. She needs her routines; she needs life to make sense, just a little. She can only fall apart and put herself back together so many times before she doesn't recognize herself trough the cracks anymore.

But she loves that he reminds her there are options. There are so many other lives out there she could go live. If she wanted to. Someday. And sometimes he takes her out of the quiet little world she's building around herself and shakes her up enough to remind her that she needs a way out as much as he wants a way in.

"Mm, it's nice to be warm again," she agrees. "So, going to share the good news?"

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Yeah, funny that he got stuck in the Nexus while it was bitter and cold. Now that he's gradually closing in on his goal of being able to leave again, it's starting to get nice. Han has always preferred a more temperate climate around him. He's from a planet of relatively benign weather and it's easier to fly in such conditions.

"Got a delivery of parts and fuel scheduled for tomorrow." He says, raising his cup to his lips to draw in some of the dark and bitter liquid. If there was news to give, that is it.

[brave_heart_verity]

Such are the ironies of fate. Maybe the promise of nicer weather will coax him back sooner. He could bring Chewie and the fam on a nice little vacation.

"Oh." There's a moment, just a brief moment, where it's clear that's not good news to her. It's selfish of her to want him to stay because she's scared and lonely, and she knows that, but she can't help it. What she can do is try to hide it behind a smile. "That's great. You must be so excited to be going home finally. Good."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Certainly Han and Chewbacca get blasted at so often that anywhere with an anti-violence field is going to make them feel like they're on vacation regardless of what they do.

Han was watching her, as he watches everyone, looking for their subtle tells. Not that he needed to see the look on her face to know she was not going to be entirely pleased by the news of his imminent departure moving briskly along, though, how she actually does feel about him - in his eyes - is about as clear as a muddied pond.

"I ..." He exhales. "... don't belong here." They both know that. It's just as well that she doesn't love him. It would be something for them to have tried to work around, though, damn if he wouldn't have tried. Long odds never stopped him before.

"If you're still in for helping me work on the ship, I could still use it."

[brave_heart_verity]

It's one of her favorite things about this place. Actual safety is a treat.

She knows he knows. He probably knows she knows he knows. And so on. She's trying. Being happy for him while she's sad for herself is the best she can manage right now. That's not what he wants, but it's not nothing. He feelings might be as clear as mud to both of them, but they're real and she needs time to figure them out.

"I know." His steadfast refusal to like anything about the Nexus very much made it pretty clear to her he wasn't going to be relocating. He doesn't need to justify his choice to go home to her. That much, she understands. "Yeah, of course. Whenever you're ready. We'll have her purring like a kitten. Or whatever the appropriate phrase is."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

It's not the Nexus itself that he hates as much as the feeling of not being able to leave when he wants. The trappedness of it. Chalk it up to growing up dreaming his whole life of being a pilot and spending his boyhood in a cesspool that he tolerated because he knew they could only hold him for so long.

And, lets not pretend that there isn't anything is all that the Nexus is that he wouldn't come back for. The are things he has enjoyed and a person he cares about very much there, besides.

"We have a similar turn of phrase for anything in our galaxy that purrs." He murmurs, though, really that's not what you want to be talking about now, is it?

"You and I should get together again soon. Not for fixing anything, just ... because."

[brave_heart_verity]

She's not pretending, she's scared. Her father left, her mother disowned her, the world ended and Loki never came. On top of dealing with all of that, she's undergoing profound personal changes. Her sense of permanence is shot; she's surprised that the sun still rises in the east.

"Yeah? You have animals that purr that you keep as pets?" She's just talking about cats, man. Cats are cool and sometimes are assholes. Kind of like her.

She's all smiles at the idea of seeing more of him before he goes. "That would be nice. One last chance for fun before you go back to being the best captain in the galaxy?"

[twelve_not_fourteen]

"We have all kinds of animals that purr." He says with a shrug. "The one I'm thinking of, you wouldn't want to keep as a pet."

It's nice to see a more real smile out of her. At least, he thinks that one is. Apart from that day at the range, he's been keeping his distance. It's ... not exactly easier that way, but a different brand of hard.

"Anything in particular you want to experience together?" She's better at coming up with the things to do, he thinks, because she's been here longer. Otherwise he'll figure out something.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Oh." His answers are usually accurate, but they're often frustratingly vague.

Yes, Han, that's a real smile. She's still got a few left for emergency situations. Keep playing nice and you'll get to see more of them.

She'd be flattered to know she's making this look easy because, in reality, she's been finding it extremely difficult to find ways to entertain him. The lack of obvious enthusiasm has left her doubting herself more than she'd care to admit. Yes, dealing with her lack of self-esteem is something she'll be working on in therapy soon. Once she's done with the crisis situations.

And if this is the last time they'll be doing this for a while? she wants it to be special. "Oh, I'm sure we'll think of something. We could go to a concert, or we could go visit the Windy Cliffs. They say that if you jump off just right, you can fly."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

"You want to jump off a cliff together?"

Sure, she said fly, but ... is that not also a way to put it? In any case, the suggestion has him grinning an honest, if a bit impish smile.

"I think that sounds perfect for us, sweetheart." The formerly familiar term of endearment slips out, but he doesn't try to backpedal because of it or take it back. "Either we'll fly together or fall on our faces trying."

[brave_heart_verity]

Did he think that was going to discourage her? Because she's grinning now. "Yes. That's pretty much exactly what I said." After all, flying is just falling and missing the ground. And if anyone knows flying, it's him.

The endearment is well-received. She's not really built to smile this much; if he keeps this up she might actually crack. "I think we'll manage. And if we don't, at least we'll fall together."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Han reaches his free hand through his scruffy hair and looks down at the ground smiling slightly to himself. Just for a moment, as if ... well, he doesn't even know why he needs to break the look between them in that moment.

"I'll try not to hold it against you that you knew somewhere I could have been flying and you didn't tell me about it till now." He teases.

[brave_heart_verity]

Her gaze slides away after he does, and when he looks back she's fussing with something in her basket. She's still smiling, and if not so painfully widely, maybe that's for the best.

The teasing gets a huff from her. "You are the soul of generosity. I've obviously been holding out on you and didn't just hear about it the other day."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

"Obviously." He echoes. "It's just as well. If I had hung around and had too much fun, I might never have raised enough money to get the Falcon fixed."

It feels odd to say that, even in the jest that it was meant. As if he could ignore the fact that his ship needed to be repaired. It claws at him the way that a child's cry inspires action in a parent.

"So." He says with a slight nod at her basket. "Gathering flowers. Is it just because or is there a plan for those?"

[brave_heart_verity]

"We're very distracting around here." She tries to carry on with the joke. Her gaze lifts briefly to his face again to see how well it's received.

"Oh, alchemy ingredients. Shade-Seeker and I are going to be experimenting with whether the native species work as well as the ones from Tamriel. And I think he wants me to practice this part before he brings me someplace dangerous to get the more exotic ingredients."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

"Some more than others." He murmurs. Which says more about him, he thinks, than it probably does about anyone around here. Han tends to make acquaintances everywhere he goes, but real friends? Not as often.

"That all sounds very reasonable." He tilts his head to the side thoughtfully for a moment. "Does the danger ... what you might have to do later, I mean, make you uneasy?"

[brave_heart_verity]

She can't really imagine how she's distracting, but she doesn't understand most of what's going unspoken between them, so. Just one more thing to add to the list.

"A little nervous," she admits after some reflection. "I'm not sure I'll have the heart to shoot a cute furry animal that looks like a pet, but that'll probably change after one tries to eat me." Wolves are fucking mean in Tamriel. "And I won't be going alone, which helps."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Her friend Han is a storm of feelings sometimes. It's hard enough for him to navigate them much less anyone else. At least he's letting her in enough to see some of them this time? It tends to hurt her more when he doesn't.

"Well that's something." He says with a nod. "I gotta believe you've been training enough to be as prepared as you can for it."

[brave_heart_verity]

Storms she can navigate. Feelings, not so much, it seems. But she does prefer not being shut out entirely.

"Yeah. He's a famous hero back home, so I'm sure he can manage to deal with wolves or wandering daedra, and it's not like he's asking me to help close the gates to demon-lands or anything." Ver rubs the back of her neck a bit, because when she says that out loud it sounds really bad.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

"Magic." He murmurs, shaking his head. "I don't know if it's ever going to make sense to me, but I'm glad it serves you well."

[brave_heart_verity]

"The gates to demon-lands don't make sense to most people, don't worry about it. None of them have been seen around here in months."

Isn't that reassuring?

"Most of the magic he does doesn't make sense to me, either."