(no subject)

[alderaanda]

What was wrong with the username I use?

['Seeker' was taken, Tash. We use this part of the Internet a lot more heavily than your part of the Holonet-]

-as far as you can tell. But I have another one, you know. Searcher1?

[Yeah, but sticking numbers on the end of taken words just looks tacky. Besides-]

-it's a pun? It's not 'me', though. This would fit Zak as much as me, or any other Arrandas from Alderaan. ...There'd have to be some left, even if they're not related to us.

[Stop finishing my sentences! It's not something-]

-I could really do in a game. Yeah, I figured that out. But look, we have to talk about that. I guess I could go somewhere without my brother, but there's other concerns too that I don't think you really thought about.

And I think you'll have to do that later, because now, you need to canon review more. Study, mun!

Comments

[thefinaljedi]

Well, I certainly didn't expect to run into you here, young lady.

[Luke can't help but smile, and neither can his mun.]

I can't say that I really understand the attraction to puns only a few people might understand, though my mun did smile. Besides, it's not that bad. It could be much worse, or somewhat dated like mine.

[I'm not paying to change your username, Luke, and you have a lot of paid time left thanks to...Life Day.]

[alderaanda]

[Excite!]

Luke! - [wait. Suspicion] But you're... old. What's going on? Are you even really...

[thefinaljedi]

Tash?

[Luke's eyebrow rises, and he holds up his hands in a conciliatory gesture even as he smiles.]

I'm not that old, I'm only thirty.

[alderaanda]

That's still older. And what happened to your face?

[Let's ignore the usual happy electric-connection feeling to back up a little. Tash is no stranger to Little Hints That Mask Something Very Wrong.]

I don't think I like this.

[thefinaljedi]

Really, it's alright. It's me, truly. This place does strange things with time.

[He lowers his hands, eyes searching hers for a reaction beyond surprise.]

As for my face, well, I had some trouble on Hoth. A long time ago.

[alderaanda]

Time is new. I guess there's always something.

[Tash is too young to be this cynical. But then, she's had a very eventful half a year. She touches her own cheek right around where one of the scars is on Luke, lowers her hand quickly when she realizes what she's doing.]

So what's next? Time goes backwards and Karkas or evil clones or someone shows up?

[thefinaljedi]

Yea, there's always something going on.

[Luke shakes his head regretfully. Tash had always been a good kid, and she'd deserved so much better than the hand she was dealt. Really, every Alderaanian did, but she'd had it especially hard.]

I couldn't tell you. I've seen a lot of strange things in this...nexus. You could meet anything from a womp rat to a ten-meter tall sentient droid. [He smiles a little, hoping to reassure her]

[alderaanda]

Womp rats? Aren't those on Tatooine?

[Too much has happened for her not to be suspicious.]

Prove you're Luke. Tell me about... what you talked about on Kiva. About how we all were maybe like poor Eppon, before we knew he was an Imperial bioweapon.

[thefinaljedi]

That's right.

[Luke answered a heartbeat later, readily recalling the conversation. A lot had happened, but that memory was strong.]

I talked about being an orphan, and about how he was starved for attention, and...that I understood how that could be.

[alderaanda]

Yeah...

I guess I believe you. You don't... it doesn't feel the same, but I guess I felt different ten years ago too.

[When she was four.]

[thefinaljedi]

Well, time changes everyone, that's certain. But I'm still Luke Skywalker.

[And the mun seems to recall him promising to look out for Tash, but isn't sure. But Luke does feel an urge to say something to reassure her.]

and I'll still help you however I can.

[alderaanda]

[Nah. Could have happened post-series, but in series thirteen-fourteen is treated as more like fifteen-sixteen, by my reckoning. I mean, in twelve books the only remotely antagonistic character to go "She's a kid, I'm not going to treat her like I would an adult in this position" is Thrawn. Plus, she never travels with Luke for long.]

[Well, anyway, she'll come a little closer, still clearly wary.]

So what happened on Hoth?

[thefinaljedi]

[Then consider it head-canon. Luke does try and look out for people he runs into, and Tash would stick with him I think. He's got a big heart, even if Tash wasn't young. Not quite shounen hero big, but he's definitely a kind man.]

...you know Mundane, I can hear you.

[Right, shutting up now.]

Hoth? I had a bit of trouble with frostbite and some of the local fauna. It never quite healed completely, hence this. [He gestures to the scarring]

[alderaanda]

[yeah I argue with my Lukes in the bracket text too, sometimes.]

Also me? C'mon.

[...right. The initial d_m entry. Aww, man, I just didn't want to be pretentious and go CREATOR: blah blah blah, CHARACTER: response blahdy blah.]

Then think these things out more!

Okay, so... [There's something weird with his hand. Tash doesn't know what it is, or if she should actually even bring it up, but there's some glancing.]

[thefinaljedi]

[Well, it's making me smile one way or another.]

Me too, but, isn't it breaking up the reunion?

[I don't think they're happy with us...just...going to go back to my corner and leave the kid to question Luke.]

Now that that's settled, I suppose you're wondering about the hand too?

[Luke shakes his head, holding it up.]

I lost it in a lightsaber duel on Bespin. It's a cybernetic prosthetic.

[alderaanda]

[I get to hang around if I'm quiet. Anyway. Tash goes pale.]

You lost your hand?!

[Theirs is a culture where cyborgs are... looked down upon. Tash has once been rather worse off as far as that's concerned, and she's a good kid, but still part of that culture, and it's a shock.]

[thefinaljedi]

[Luke nods once more.]

I did.

[He's...not really sure what else to say. It's a fact. It happened and there wasn't anything he could do to change it, as unfortunate as it was.]

[averybadfeeling]

"I have found that these... usernames tend to be rather hit-or-miss in terms of quality and appropriate tone, but I suppose I've gotten used to them by now.

My mundane insists that I should meet you, though he won't tell me why. Hello, there."

[alderaanda]

Well, I could've been 'runningarranda' or 'arrandagalaxy' or something. I'm not sure if that's worse.

[Suddenly a little shyer. He feels... kind of... it's this electric sense again.] Hi. I'm Tash Arranda.

[beingajedi]

--who are you? Because you make my mun real nervous, or excited -- sometimes those are the same thing.

[alderaanda]

[Oooh. He has that electric tingle too. A little hesitantly - she usually gets along best with adults - she smiles.]

Sometimes it works like that, I don't know why! ...I'm Tash Arranda. Hi.

[bailedontheempire]

Puns seem to be remarkably popular among mundanes.

[alderaanda]

I know, it's-

[Wait. Tash wasn't really up on politics, but some things are obvious.]

You're Bail Organa!

[bailedontheempire]

Yes, I am.

[He supposes it's a natural enough reaction from someone with an Alderaan pun for a username]

[alderaanda]

Um.... titles... Prince-Consort! Sir! I thought you were.... oh. Yeah. Probably. Time things.

I'm Tash Arranda. [Arranda's not too uncommon a name on Alderaan.]