bottleneck | ▌│█║▌║▌║ open post ║▌║▌║█│▌

[ the lights in this area have, for some reason, been turned off. they're walking through complete darkness until leia turns her lightsaber back on. the green blade illuminates the hallway, brightening the inside of the lift once they step inside. ]

Looks like this area's pretty much abandoned. [ hopefully. ] I don't... [ she reaches out, extending her mind, her senses, as far as she can manage at the moment. ] I don't sense anyone.

[ they're off, her han assumes, because no one particularly cares to see what's going on in this area. he nods at the assessment of it being abandoned, a hand on her shoulder to steady her as she reaches out with the force. he doesn't have the luxury to be discomfited by that or her lightsaber at the moment.

the younger han, though, doesn't consider it a luxury and eyes the weapon as if she's going to run him through with it. ]

We'll head back up when we stop, then go south and wait a while before going any further toward the top. [ at least the boy that's holding bria's hand (again) is now on board with the plan. ]

[ leia appreciates his support, feeding off his strength, his stability. she doubts he understands exactly what he's doing for her by allowing her to tether herself to him like this, but him allowing it in spite of his many hang ups with the force itself only makes her love him more. ]

And then to the... [ illuminated by green light, leia turns to look questioningly at her han. the falcon? it occurs to her, all of a sudden, that she doesn't know when or how he got the ship. for all she knows, he acquired the damn thing right before general kenobi found him in that cantina on tatooine. ]

[ her han looks down at her and shakes his head, knowing exactly where that was going. he doubts he'd have the falcon at this point, not on coruscant with bria. not if he's just come from ylesia. ]

Then to whatever hole we can hide in until we can get transport off the planet.

[ just a little ahead of them, the other han and bria are quiet. not at all on board with that plan, and not at all sure now is the time to say so. at this point they're just winging it and trying to not get shot at anymore. ]

[ funny, how she spent so much of their time in the past taking pot shots at the falcon, and now she wishes for nothing more than to see the eroding hull of that kesting ship. she'd feel a hell of a lot more secure in their newest predicament if they were flying in it instead of whatever they managed to get their hands on. ]

To Tatooine. [ a quick decision, one she knows he isn't going to like, but there's reason behind it: ] My father has family there, remember?

Yeah... [ he remembers, but he really doesn't like the idea of going to tatooine. no matter what else has changed, he doubts the hutts have let that little dust nugget go, and he'd like to avoid them. he's sure the younger version of himself would like to, too.

ahead of them, the younger han turns to look at him...self... and frown. mostly because he's thinking the same thing about the hutts. ]

Must be some family.

[ completely inappropriate, but he's scared and that makes him kind of a dick. ]

[ leia's able to read both of their minds without even trying to. she scowls at the pair of the — the older one, especially. ]

You really think I want to be on the same planet as that karking slug after what he did to me? [ they've never really talked about her experience on jabba's barge after she was ripped out of his arms and he was tossed into one of the holding cells. now's probably not the best time. ] Han, I owe it Owen and Beru to make sure they're safe. If Anakin really is gone, and we-- [ if his twins were never born. ] They would have no reason to look twice.

Where else would you have us go; Alderaan? Naboo? [ stars, the naberries were probably going through hell if amidala was really sitting at the forefront of this rebellion. ]

[ what happened with jabba is something han would like to forget, but he just shakes his head and continues on. ]

Didn't say I wouldn't go. [ he squeezes her shoulder as they walk, in an attempt to be reassuring. he's just paranoid and concerned.

the younger han, however, is just paranoid. ] Have fun out there, then, I guess. [ there's another lift in a spot that has a feeble amount of light and he pulls bria inside without another word to the two behind them. they can get in or not, he can't care too much because they're obviously suicidal. ]

And I didn't say we had to stay.

[ leia just wants to ensure that they're okay. maybe give them some sort of warning, the stability of space-time be damned. if her mother really is the new leader of this rebellion, then they ought to be told of her father's connections to her. were anyone to find out that owen's step-brother was married to amidala, they may try to come after her through them. the empire's gone after people for far less.

she turns a sharp eye on the other han, and doesn't miss a beat as she swings her lightsaber in an arc and threatens, ] You're going to find out exactly how fun I can be if you don't stop commenting on things you don't understand.

[ the younger han immediately pushes bria behind him. yes, he is afraid she's going to cut off his head, but that she's threatening at all just serves to piss him off.

behind her, the older han puts both hands on her shoulders as if he can hold her back. he's beginning to wonder if she's forgotten the small matter of what happens to him if something happens to the other him, and he's not to keen on sharing the missing limb experience with luke. ] Leia, c'mon...

[ the younger han just glares at them both. ] You want to make it back up yourselves? [ his hand is, in fact, hovering just over the lift controls, and bria's gaze past his protective stance is fascinated and terrified, jumping between the three of them. ] Fine by me, but you'll have a hard time figuring your way around without the navs. [ the implication here being, to leia, put that lightsaber back where it came from or so help him. ]

[ the green blade vanishes into the pummel. leia takes a step forward, as if to tear into the younger han once again, but rounds to rip into the older one instead. in contrast to her behavior seconds before, the way she shoves him is almost adorable. a light, almost playful shove. so girlish, so unlike the brazen woman who was waving a lightsaber in someone's face. ]

What the hell is wrong with you in this time? It's like you didn't mature until you were thirty-two.

[ both hans are taken aback. the older one less so, if only because he's used to it. ]

Hey.

[ at the back of the lift, bria is almost disappointed they don't both say the word in concert. ]

Don't you hey me! [ that snap is directed at the both of them, though it's the older one she's half-glaring at with her head tilted back so she can do it properly. she really is a tiny thing, and it has to be somewhat amusing to see han corralled by a girl he towers over and could easily pick up and move out of the way. ] That--

[ hand is flung back behind her, finger pointed at the younger one. ]

--used to be you. And yet, somehow, he's less of a mess than you were on the Death Star!

[ fwap. she smacks his arm. it's not a hard smack, but a smack nonetheless. ]

[ behind her, the younger han and bria stare. mostly in confusion, because they're not entirely sure what is going on right now.

they and the older han, out there bearing the brunt of this, can at least agree that it's good she put the lightsaber away and has stopped waving it around. ]

I got us out of there, didn't I?

[ young han can thank his older self for being really good at holding her attention. especially her irritated attention. ]

On a ship that barely flies half the time! [ when in doubt, insult the falcon. ] You were doing a great job of not getting us shot, flyboy.

[ the sarcasm is strong with this one. ]

[ han scowls, makes a noise in the back of his throat that sounds oddly like a 'harrumph,' and starts to crowd her into the lift. much as he loves getting insulted, they really ought to keep moving. ]

You know, you're real great at insulting her when she's not around.

[ the younger han has to give up his spot next to the controls, much to his dismay, but maybe they'll stop calling him a mess now that they've moved on to some ship. ]

[ leia snorts, sliding into the lift, sandwiched between the two hans. she crosses her arms over her chest. ]

I'd say I'm pretty good at, even when she is.

Maybe that's why she doesn't like you. [ as he punches the lift operational button and they start moving upward.

someone, at some point in time, needs to remind him that his ship does not have actual feelings. it won't do anything to change his thought process, but arguing about that for a while would be a nice respite from the insanity he's currently neck deep in.

behind them all, only partially boxed into the corner, bria is doing her best to not scream. because this is insane, and they are insane, and all she wants to do is stay and run and ask them why it's not her all at the same time. her han, still somewhat lovesick and protective, eases her out enough to put an arm around her shoulders. (as much a thing to comfort her as it is to comfort himself -- this other woman that's good at shouting and waving an ancient weapon is not who he loves in this moment, not who he trusts, and reminding himself that bria is there (for however long) helps stop him from saying something to make this worse.) ]

[ leia punches his arm. like her earlier shove, it's without momentum, light and almost childish. as if she has a habit of knocking him around. (she does.) ]

She likes me just fine. You know, one of these days, you're going to have accept the fact that your ship doesn't actually have feelings. She's a ship. Just a ship, even if you did hotwire it with those droid brains Threepio is constantly arguing with.

[ if not for the rest of what's going on in this lift (his eyes keep darting over to bria when he thinks she isn't looking at him, which isn't often but still often enough) and in their lives in general.

he almost argues with her about when was the last time she didn't give you any trouble before he realizes when was the last time she didn't give him any trouble? ]

Yeah, I'm probably gonna have to fix that if we ever get back and I still exist.

[ "trouble" was that ship's middle name. and although she was reluctant to admit it (and wouldn't in front of the other han and bria), she missed it. the twilight just wasn't the same, and now they didn't even have that bucket of bolts her father gave them to cruise around in. they would have to commandeer something from someone and get to work on scrambling the identification codes all over again.

she wasn't looking forward to that.

she wasn't looking forward to any of this.

leia reaches for her han's hand, threading her fingers between his. ] You will. As much as I'd like to, I promise to refrain from shoving the younger you off anything too high.

[ just as her han squeezes her hand, bria pipes up from the back of the lift. ]

Would you just stop? You need us and you keep... You keep saying these things! [ she's not hysterical, but she is animated and swiftly making her way to being distraught, and her han looks at her with concern. ] If you're him, if you're really Han then you know we've been through enough, so why don't you just go another way and leave us alone!

[ the older han looks at her, eyes narrow and mouth set into a deep frown of annoyance and, somewhere in there, far down and cold, pity.

the younger han just looks like he's been hit, because this is making things worse and he doesn't know yet how to make them not worse. ]

[ wound so tightly around her han as she is, whatever he's feeling towards bria in response to her words isn't helping leia to not bristle in response. her nails dig into the back of his hand and she takes a dangerous step forward. ]

And you have no idea what we've been through.

[ mostly what han's feeling right now is a deep desire to not be here right now. not in this time, not in this lift, not with bria looking at him like the wounded animal she was back when he was too young and stupid to even know what the right thing really might have been. ]

Give me one of the navs.

[ the reasoning is then, they won't have to stick together and can split up without worrying. but han amends that: ] And don't make any withdrawals. The account is flagged.

[ the younger han just looks confused, but the older is still frowning. he wasn't able to go back and change anything with shrike, but maybe this time around he can at least keep himself from getting some bank manager killed. ]

[ and leia looks — well, livid for a bright flash of a second, then something akin to hurt. the worst she can do to her han is go silent, and that's exactly what she does. hand reclaimed, leia moves to stand away from the three of them, back to the doors.

all of a sudden, she feels like the odd man out. ]

PICK YOUR POISON
PIC PROMPTS / TFLN / RANDOM SCENARIO
HAN SOLO velocities	BETTY MCRAE bombsheller	RIVER TAM subsulcus	RIVER TAM (AU) comprehender
SIMON TAM vest	BRIA THAREN exulted	NADINE CROSS bridaled	GU JUN-PYO toddler
available on special request: veronica sawyer, benjamin linus, imani, maria deluca, mushu, poseidon, niccolò machiavelli, malik al-sayf, chloe

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