#rinskiroo

[greyias]

Make a poll

… your favorite female characters (no limits - as many or as little as you want) and see which your followers like the most!

Tagged by: @queen-scribbles -- thank you for the tag!

Tagging: @keldae, @confettininjabean, @commander-krios, @elveny, @rinskiroo, and @iocainesmoothie

And because I'm a copycat like that...

[swtorpadawan]

More than three dozen individuals were now standing around the hilltop. Many of them were wearing robes. Others wore plates of adaptable armor that had become popular during the various conflicts over the years. A few others wore more nondescript garb, clothing that - aside perhaps from the presence of a lightsaber clipped to their belts – would not give away their identity. Jedi. He marveled. This was by far the most Jedi that Tyzen had seen in one place in years. Not since early in the Zakuulan Invasion, when he had been Knighted on Tython before being sent off to fight.

Taggging!

@nekorinnie @fandomfangirl23 @raven-of-domain-kwaad @rinskiroo @sullustangin @blueburds @cinlat

[hermit-writes]

10 Fandoms/10 Characters/10 Tags

thanks for the tag @ashes0909!

marvel — Bucky. Zero hesitation

star wars — ohh... Leia

harry potter — Draco Malfoy

yuri!!! on ice — I haven't seen this one....

supernatural - Dean Winchester (Castiel close second)

game changers series — I haven't seen this one...

omgcheckplease — I haven't seen this one...

red white and royal blue — I haven't seen this one...

sherlock TV — sherlock

doctor who - tenth doctor

... I feel like I am gonna have my fan card revoked :p @festiveferret @ryugarika @mumble--bee @tafferling @rinskiroo @thenotebookwizard @dei2dei @satud2 @treefrogie84 @tryslora

[sullustangin]

Last Line Meme

Tagged by @califrey and @starknstarwars and @reliciron (i just found your tag too!)--it's been sitting in the mentions for over a month-- sorry for the late reply!

tagging (no pressure, can be any fandom): @commander-krios @kaosstar @outcastcommander @rinskiroo @mr-jaybird @shabre-legacy @admiralprawn @buckybarnesss @certified-anakinfucker @cinlat

Rules: In a new post, show the last line you wrote and tag as many people as there are words.

"Apparently, a widower wanted to talk to him and Trant."

[skylarstark4826]

When Paige comes with her sister to the Resistance, Poe doesn’t need to ask why.  He can see the horror and loss on her face and he can hear it in the measured way that she speaks.  She’s trying to protect Rose by not going into so much detail, but Poe can feel it bubbling beneath the surface.  She wants to scream that they were loved and they were valuable, but the First Order covets only power.

They can’t see the power inside Paige.  Poe thinks one day they’ll regret that.

He has a keen sense of her.  Maybe it’s because Paige wears almost all of her emotions out there in the open.  Her face is expressive--her nose scrunches up when she’s disgusted; when she laughs, it’s loud as she tosses her head back; her smiles are wide and infectious; and when she’s mad, Poe swears he can see the steam coming out of her ears.  She calls him out on his bullshit, too. Pokes a mean finger right into his chest and tells him to stop being hot-headed and foolish.

Maybe it’s all those things, or maybe it’s the way she cuddles in close when they’re alone and shares the private thoughts she hides from the world.  She doesn’t say it in so many words, but he feels when she’s afraid, or sad, or lonely. Things she doesn’t want Rose to see because she wants Rose to think her sister is her invincible shield.  Poe thinks Rose will always think that, no matter what. Paige shows him all of her, and he never once doubts her will or her strength.

Poe catches her for just a moment on the day she finally makes the First Order see her power.  Their foreheads press together and they wish each other luck. They’re all still high on the destruction of Starkiller and sure that the Force is on their side.  They’re on the right side of history on this and there’s no way they can’t win.

“See you, flyboy,” she says and gives him a wink and a salute as she climbs into her bomber.

And then, she’s the last one standing.  This isn’t how Poe thought this would go.  So many dead and Paige is holding what’s left of the payload.  Even though he’s screaming her name while knowing she can’t possibly hear him, he can feel her struggling.  She’s hurt, but she’s trying. If she could just reach a bit farther.

In the roar of the blaster fire and TIEs screaming around him, there’s a brief second of peace and he hears her.

Tell Rose, she says.   Tell Rose.

[fanficdiscordzines]

hi u r cute ☺️

No, u.

[keldae]

gimme xaja and theron 4. A Drunken Kiss :D

Well, doesn’t this work out perfectly. ;)

After the events of Rishi and Yavin had finally settled out, Theron hadn’t expected to be in contact with his newfound… friends, dare he say?… when life returned to normal. He was a spy, Korin was a constantly-moving spacer, Xaja was a Jedi Master with her duties to the Order, and forget Sorand (… there was no way in hell Theron was ever going to cite Reanden Taerich as being one of his friends) in Imperial Space. The Taerichs each had their own individual lives, and he didn’t have a place in them, no matter that he couldn’t seem to get Xaja out of his head… especially after finally tumbling into bed with her on Yavin. That hadn’t been ‘blowing off steam’ as much as it had been ‘fueling a fire’, as he’d discovered. But he had no delusions to the idea that maybe she felt the same. Jedi weren’t supposed to have attachments. 

He shook his head as he stared into his whiskey, ignoring the sounds of the rest of the cantina around him. It’s not worth it, Shan, he inwardly growled at himself. She’s a Jedi, she wouldn’t be interested in anything long-term, why do you have a kriffing crush on a Jedi Master anyway when you know --

A body dropped onto the stool beside him, and red hair flickered out of the corner of Theron’s eye. “Fancy meeting you here,” Xaja said with a grin as she twisted around to look at him directly. 

Theron blinked in pleasant surprise and tried to ignore how his heart jumped within his chest at that smile of hers. “Xaja! What, uh…” Yes, he’d secretly hoped to run into the pretty Jedi again, but now that she was here, he had no idea what to say. “What brings you out this way? I’d have thought you were doing Order business.”

“I’m on Order business if anyone asks, and absolutely not hiding from the paparazzi who somehow found out about the whole cult business,” Xaja muttered. “Sorand had a good idea with the mask. I might have to look into one.” She looked down at the stool she’d claimed, then back at Theron. “There wasn’t anyone sitting here, was there? Am I interrupting anything important?”

“Not in the least!” Theron quickly shook his head before Xaja could even shift her weight to move elsewhere. “You’re perfectly fine there.” He winked as he made a show of studying her face. “I’d suggest almost anything besides a mask, though. It would cover up too much of your face.” Which would be the point, a little voice in his mind muttered, making his ears go red with embarrassment.

Xaja didn’t seem to mind the awkward flirting from Theron as she laughed, her cheeks going pink in the dim lighting. “So that reduces my options down to running really, really fast and learning how to use a stealth generator…”

“Could always look into a bodyguard, maybe.”

“Oh?” Xaja tilted her head at Theron, smile dancing on her lips – not that Theron was looking at her lips at all, thinking about how he remembered they tasted, not at all. “Are you volunteering, then?”

“I could maybe be persuaded, I suppose.” Theron grinned and took a sip of his whiskey, eyeing Xaja over the rim of his glass.

“So tell me, Agent Shan…” Xaja leaned her elbow on the counter and rested her chin on her hand, green eyes sparkling with mischief and amusement and something else that made Theron’s stomach clench in hopeful anticipation. “What does a girl have to do to get the protection of the SIS’s best agent?”

“That is up for negotiation.” Theron smirked as he waved at the bartender and gestured for a drink for Xaja. “May as well make the negotiations comfortable, right? It’s on me,” he quickly added when he saw her reaching into her jacket pocket for credits.

Xaja paused as a second whiskey appeared in front of her, then grinned as she withdrew her hand from her pocket. “Next round’s on me,” she finally agreed as she took a sip of the drink.

“And there you go, proof that Jedi are master negotiators,” Theron chuckled over his own glass. “We’re off to a fine start.”

He’d lost count of how many rounds they’d gone through. Their conversation had spun away from Xaja grumbling about the paparazzi, dancing through memories of Rishi and Yavin, chatter about Theron’s job (or what wasn’t classified, anyway), laughing at ridiculous memories of former missions each had undertaken – Xaja was still giggling after Theron told her the story of blowing up the Ascendant Spear in his underwear. A legendary Jedi Master, giggling like a (intoxicated) schoolgirl… Theron decided it was an adorable sound, and he definitely needed to hear more of it.

He impulsively slid his arm around her waist as they finally stepped outside of the cantina, Coruscant’s cool nighttime breeze a sharp contrast to the heat inside the building. It should have felt strange, how perfectly she fit against his side, all five feet of thin build and soft skin and silky hair… but it felt so natural to have her right there like that. Theron decided he liked it, as much as he definitely liked everything else about her. “You know what…” he murmured as he paused behind a lamp post and looked down at her, “we never did settle up on that negotiation…”

“No, we didn’t.” Xaja stepped in front of him and smirked as she slid her hands up his chest and around his neck. Theron groaned when her fingers started tickling the short-cropped hair at his neck, earning another smirk from her. “Have anything in mind?”

“Got one idea…” Theron drawled as he slipped his arms around her back and lowered his mouth to meet hers. The kiss was straight-up sloppy, lips dancing around each other, teeth meeting roughly before his tongue slid in to find hers. Hardly the seductive kiss that spies were supposed to be masters of – but considering how Xaja moaned into his mouth and tried to pull him down closer to her, she didn’t seem to mind or judge too terribly. He lowly grunted as he instinctively pushed her back against the lamp post, one hand running up and down her side, and for a second all he wanted was to get under the jacket and tunics she wore so he could feel her skin underneath. 

A need for air finally broke the kiss, and Xaja tugged his head down to rest his forehead against her own. “Yeah,” she murmured, closely enough that Theron could feel her breath on his lips, “those are good negotiation terms. Consider them accepted.”

“Works for me.” Theron grinned and brushed another kiss against her nose. “Even got somewhere nice an’ safe to hide you from the media until they kriff off. My place is nearby.” Kriff, when had he last had a one-night-stand back at his own apartment? But she wasn’t just a normal romp in bed to blow off some steam, no matter how much he tried to deny it. Xaja was something else entirely and he knew it… and to his own surprise, he liked it.

A smile lit up those brilliant green eyes, and Xaja slid one hand back down over his chest and arm to find his hand and give it a squeeze. “Let’s go,” she breathed, and Theron would have had to be blind to miss the open, excited desire in her gaze. Apparently he hadn’t been the only one thinking about the abandoned shuttle on Yavin.

It was a bonus that his bed was more comfortable than the bunk on the shuttle that they’d fallen into, he thought as he eagerly lead her toward the taxi station. Right now, he could only imagine how much more comfortable it would be with her in it beside him.

[storyknitter]

Shuffle Meme

@rinskiroo tagged me -- thanks, lovely!

10 random songs from my “liked” playlist:

One Foot -- Walk the Moon

Never Give Up -- Sia

Galway Girl -- Ed Sheeran

New Rules x Are You That Somebody -- Pentatonix

Daylight -- Maroon 5

Shake It Off -- Taylor Swift

Burn -- Hamilton (Phillipa Soo)

Slow Hands -- Niall Horan

Bad at Love -- Halsey

Say You Won’t Let Go -- James Arthur

Aaaaaand now, thanks to Rin and @cavalier-life , I’ve added Wicked back to this playlist. :D

I’ll tag @greyias , @mjaydziarand , @andveryginger , @rannadylin , @queen-scribbles , @momentarilyhere , & @ofmistandrain

[reallystellacadente]

Romance asks ~ 3, 14, 29 any ship! :D

Oooh! Thanks for the ask! For Xhareen and Quinn because of course. :-)

List can be found here.

3. When they are having a fight,what is it about and how do they deal with it? 

Other than the Quinncident (see below), they don’t fight muchonce they establish their places on the ship. But oh boy, in the early days? Inever wrote this part, and only refer to it a few times, but Xhareen loathesdoing boring, detailed work which of course, Quinn excels at and enjoys. She’scompletely fine with dumping all those chores on him. BUT … he is also astickler for rules and simply won’t let Xhareen shirk her duties as head of thecrew/ship. So getting her to read and sign off on reports is a matter of contentionbetween them such that Xhareen develops an entire routine to avoid him/them,and naturally, Quinn adapts and eventually gets her to act. Toovee has kept anentire record of these fights, which Vette downloaded and occasionally slipsinto holiday mix tapes. [I started to write the scene where they finally getover it, but first my flash drive died and then I accidentally overwrote theonly copy I had left on my computer and just felt like fuckall. But Quinn savesthe day by making Xhareen porridge, and she finally realizes how important itis to him and to herself to do her duty. The porridge comes up again when theyfinally get back together after the tragedy that tears them apart.]

14. Is there anything theyassociate with each other?

At the verycore, at least until KOTFE changes everything, when you say the word “Empire”to either one of them, they think of the other. To Quinn, Xhareen is what Sithare supposed to be: strong, fierce and yet wise (and not hedonistic murderyasshats.) Watching her prevail and be dedicated to the Empire and all its inhabitantsleaves him little choice but to fall in love, and stay there. To Xhareen, Quinnrepresents the best of the Empire – loyal, brilliant, hardworking – and yeteven at his worst – lacking faith and betraying her – she still loves him becauseshe knows he will work every day to improve. Having built up a foundation likethis, once they both decide, independently, to leave the Empire forever, theirlove is stronger than ever.

 29. What are your favoritemoments that happen between them? 

They getseparated a lot, and so their reunions are quite sweet and passionate, even ifit seems to always take days before they can, um, express their joy at beingtogether again Because Circumstances. I really loved their post-KOTFE (andtotes AU) reunion. Yet I also think a favorite moment is their discussion/fight/whateverthey have after Quinn wakes up after the Quinncident. Xhareen has had days tostew over what he did, and her guilt for even momentarily entertaining thenotion that she wanted to kill him. Quinn’s had maybe a day to process that he’sstill alive and he still did the thing. And they have to hash out so many oftheir insecurities and the absurd reality they live in. And then the very secondthey come to that point of mutual forgiveness, they have to go save the gotdamnday, once again.

[greyias]

username song game

Tagged by: @space-unicorn-dot -- thank you for the tag!

Rules are simple: pick a song for each letter of your URL and tag that many people!

g: Glitter & Gold - Barns Courtney

r: Roundtable Rival - Lindsay Stirling

e: Ex's & Oh's - Elle King

y: You Say - Vertical Horizon

i: I Don't Wanna Be in Love - Good Charlotte

a: Adrienne - The Calling

s: Save Rock and Roll - Fall Out Boy & Elton John

Hey, look! I even managed to avoid the TSwift Curse from the (bargain bin) Spotify Unwrapped tag game! All righty, that's... 7~! Let's go! @kitsonpaws, @andthatswhathappened, @queen-scribbles, @rinskiroo, @keldae,@aki888 the untaggable, and @captainofthefallen!

[fortysevenswrites]

7-7-7 Tag Game

The rules are as follows: Go to page 7 of your WIP, go to the seventh line, share seven sentences, and tag 7 more writer-bloggers to continue the challenge.

Thanks for the tag @rinskiroo!

Here be seven sentences from the RebelCaptain post-war AU I’ve been noodling along and am finally working on editing. It’s 22 pages long in Word and 8,500 words at a litlte beyond the halfway-ish mark so....yeah, this is going to be another long one. 

Damnit.

By the time he reaches them, the nurses are gone, and Cassian is on his feet, looking more than a little unsteady as he shakes Draven’s hand, accepting his congratulations for a mission well accomplished, and Leia almost sees red, breathes slow through her nose until the feeling goes away.

“Hello Princess,” he says, as fond as he ever is, and it hurts to hear his voice, even more than it hurts to look him in the eye.

“Don’t you Princess me, Andor,” she snaps, only just manages to reign in her hormones and stop from railing into him like she wants, because one good hit would probably knock him out, and she needs him conscious if she’s going to get the answers she needs.

So, she nods with her chin toward the table on the other side of the small, private room, “Sit the hells down before you keel over.”

Cassian gets that fond look on his face that makes her want to punch him in the teeth, the same way she used to when she was a girl training to be a spy back on Alderaan.

But he sits, and she sits down across from him, waits for Draven to take the open seat to her left.

Coming...soon to an AO3 near you!

Tagging, well, whoever wants to join in!

[andveryginger]

“Never stop smiling.”

Warning: Teeth-rotting fluff ahead. Follows on the previous ask from @mjaydziarand.

My muses are apparently in total mutiny. ::sigh::

Decidedly not headcanon.

Annya lay blinking lazily as her gaze trailed the now-familiar lines of the canvas panels draped above her, rocky contours peeking through. Dim yellow light bounced off the reflective surface, generated only by the computer console a few feet from the foot of the bed, and the two ambient lamps at the corner of the loft. It gave the room a warm, secluded feeling – perfect for a few quiet, intimate moments.

Theron Shan pillowed his head on her stomach, body sprawled diagonally across the bed. He gave a contented hum as she combed her fingers through his hair, his own hand coming to rest against her lower abdomen. “I hope we didn’t just scar her for life,” he rumbled.

Chuckling, she continued playing with his hair. “‘Her’, is it?” she said. “I thought most men wanted boys – to pass down that esoteric masculine knowledge, follow in your manly footsteps.”

“Entertaining as that might be,” he said, shifting to look up at her, “the male members of my family seem to have a questionable track record. I… think I’d rather spare our kid the trouble.”

Reaching up, he traced the slight crease below her navel. His gold-hazel eyes creased at the corners, amusement fading as he followed his finger with a kiss. Tender and reverent, it was a perfect echo of the emotions reverberating across their bond.

“Your mom, she’s been through a lot,” he said. His tone was low, voice coarse. “Lost her mom; her master – not once, but twice. Then lost five years of her life. But she laughs and she smiles and just – tries to find the Light in all of us.” He paused. “I hope you’ll be like her: beautiful and capable and resilient, with a smile that melts defenses in nothing flat… especially mine.”

A rueful grin twitched at his lips, eyes suspiciously glassy once again. “Never stop smiling, Ahn,” he continued. She could sense him struggling to give voice and recognition to the emotions roiling through them at the moment. “I know you’re scared; I am, too. But a woman far wiser than me once said we should never let fear hold us back.”

He dropped one more kiss to her stomach, shifted to press his lips her breastbone – top and bottom; a kiss to her collarbone; a nuzzle behind her ear. They were gentle, soothing caresses and Annya could sense him attempting to acknowledge and dissipate the fear that still lurked between them.

She slipped her arms around his neck as his body partially covered hers, then reached up and carded her fingers through the hair over his right ear. Fear slowly gave way to uncertainty. That, she knew, would be easily overshadowed by the hope and awe that rekindled between them.

“We’ve taken down some of the ugliest things this galaxy has to offer – together,” Annya said finally. She chuckled. “I don’t see why teething and temper tantrums and two o’clock feedings should be any different.”

He barked a laugh, shaking his head. “Can hardly wait,” he murmured, then kissed her.

[gerdavonrinnlingen]

Oh man, so many of these have great Quinn potential. But I pick this one “Let me take care of you.” Any OC. :B

Malavai Quinn had always thought that he woulddie at the hands of the Republic, not necessarily a heroic death – those wereof course reserved for important figures like Sith – but still something moremeaningful than being mauled to death by a giant manka cat.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment before thefeline predators sharp claws made contact with his chest, he had his blasterdrawn halfway out of the holster but he lost the grip on it as he hit theground. Suddenly everything happened so fast, he tried to ward off the powerfulattack but burning, hot pain in his right arm made him scream.

Suddenly something heavy fell on him; in panic hestruggled free only to realise that it was the dead manka cat that had fallenon him. Quinn panted heavily and coughed as he pushed the beast away and stumbledon his feet.

“Quinn, are you alright?”

He tore his eyes away from the dead predatorand saw that Lord Syrje was standing next to him. She put her lightsaber backon her belt and seemed completely unfazed by the event.

He gulped and tried to control his raggedbreath. “Of course my lord. I apologize – I should’ve-”

She just lifted her hand and he fell silent, embarrassedby his rambling and his incompetence. Why hadn’t he anticipated the attack?This part of Alderaan was known for manka cats!

“That was a rhetorical question, Captain. Youare hurt, you are not alright.” Syrje didn’t sound angry, on the contrary, shesounded almost concerned.

Quinn looked down and saw that his usuallypristine uniform was torn at the chest and his right sleeve. He was bleedingfrom the manka cat’s scratches. Seeing the extent of his injuries caused theburning pain to return. He grimaced a little and reached with his left hand forthe kolto injector in his utility belt. It took him a few moments before hecould get a grip on the small device, his hands were still shaking from theadrenalin.

“Let me take care of you, Quinn,” said Syrjeand stretched her hand out. Clearly she expected him to give her the kolto.

He blinked in surprise. “My lord … I don’tthink that’s appropriate for a Sith to bother with menial tasks. I suggest thatyou continue your way to House Thul, the baron is expecting you. I will catchup once I’ve patched myself up.”

Syrje frowned at him and Quinn immediatelywondered if he had said something to anger her. “Menial task? You think I wouldleave you in this forest and continue merrily my way to a dinner while one ofmy crew is hurt?”

Quinn didn’t know how to reply, so he remainedsilent and just handed her the kolto injector. Syrje gestured him to sit downon a rock next to a fir and he obeyed. She gave him two kolto shots and beganto gently open his uniform jacket.

Seeing her hands open the buttons one by onemade Quinn nervous, Syrje was so close to him that he could smell her scent –leather and something that reminded him of flower and earth. It was a strangelyalluring scent. He felt heat crawl up his cheeks despite being in pain.Carefully she helped him out of the grey jacket and his long armed white shirtthat was now bloody and dirty.

It was chilly on Alderaan, but Quinn still felthot when Syrje reached around his torso to bandage his chest. Her gentle touchfelt so good and yet a lump in his throat formed as he watched her taking careof him.

Quinn didn’t want her to stop, he wanted her totouch him a little longer. And for a moment he felt the urge to touch her back –but he pulled himself together and scolded himself for his silly impulses. LordSyrje was a powerful, radiant, striking Sith and was thus way out of his reach.Oh yes, she had flirted with him … but that was only a game. A cruel gamebecause it gave him hope that … he gulped. At least she had cared enough topatch him up.

She helped him back into the torn uniform andeven closed the buttons again. Then Syrje helped him back on his feet.

“Don’t get used to this kind of service,Captain,” she said with a smile; Quinn noticed that she stood very close. Therewas a strange gleam in her yellow eyes when she looked at him.

Quinn almost smiled back, but luckily his professionalismkicked in and saved him from this utterly impropriate reaction and he repliedstraight-faced: “I’m sorry that I required such attention, my lord.”

[revenblue]

fanfic ask meme! #9, 16, 19

9. longest wip of the year

Probably attempt #1 of my CWM rewrite, which I think reached 6k words?

I have too many wips XD

16. fic(s) you completed this year

A lot, honestly. The two standouts being:

Hearts Break, They Bend, They Mend, a multichapter (!!!) soulmate AU.

Take Your Time, a Zelda Minish Cap crackfic I literally started in 2012.

But there’s also ~24 others (more if you count most of the chapters in the ficlet collection).

19. any new fics to start next year 

Another rewrite of CWM, except probably in third omni next time. (I’ve tried third limited and second so far.) I’m slowly rebuilding my interest in it haha.

Thanks for the ask!

[inyri]

*prods* #8, 15, 22, 28, 44

From this post, a few answers about the inimitable Nine.  

8. Do they have anything that triggers them?

One thing. Onomatophobia. (A second, more generally: hands around or tight things on her neck- this one predates her time with the SIS and Star Cabal, though that experience made it significantly worse once Hunter figured out how much it bothered her. Theron’s the only exception to this.)

15. Who do they hate the most?

Valkorion. With almost everyone else she ever hated- and there are a lot of people who made Nine’s shit list at one time or another- there was some degree of pity mixed in, somewhere along the line. Zhorrid (stupid, broken girl, heir to her father’s failure), Hunter (Nine’s dark mirror), Arcann (what must it have been like, seeking approval that was never, ever going to come?) and Vaylin (after Nathema, when she realized what had been done to her- using her trigger phrase was one of the single hardest things Nine ever did)- she felt sorry for all of them, with time. Valkorion was just a monster. 

22. Do they have any mental illnesses?

What, me? No. I’m fine. (PTSD. Antisocial tendencies, though arguably this applies to anyone working in Intelligence. Alcohol use disorder- I once had a reader mention that alcohol comes up a lot in Equivalent Exchange. Yes, it does. It should be fairly obvious, I think, that Nine has a drinking problem, and that’s one place where her relationship with Theron isn’t helpful.)

28. Is there a certain type of person that disgusts them? 

There are characteristics she really dislikes, though not any certain type of person, per se. She despises cowardice, inflexibility, and cruelty for cruelty’s sake.

44. What’s one thing they wish they could do more often, but can’t? 

She’d love an actual vacation. Short being frozen in carbonite, she hasn’t had a real day off in years- but alliances don’t run themselves, do they?

[keldae]

“Holy shit, you know Santa!”

(editing language and vocabulary for universe and participants in the scene XD)

“You know the Force ghost?!” Daenril Shan stared in awed amazement at his older cousin. Cuyan Verhayc-Taerich was a whole five years older than the four-year-old, which therefore meant he knew everything. And if he didn’t know it, his big sister Rav did because she was a whole ten years old.

(But who wanted to ask a girl about things?)

Cuyan emphatically nodded. “Yeah! Me and Rav, we’ve both seen him! He’s a nice old-looking guy with white hair, and he smiles all friendly-like. Dad says most ghosts aren’t nice, but he is!”

“You an’ Rav both saw’d him?” Daenril’s jaw dropped before his eyes suddenly squinted in suspicion. “Mama says the ghost doesn’t come if we’s still ‘wake. She says all the kids gotta be asleeps first!”

Cuyan shifted his feet guiltily. “Me an’ Rav were asleep. And then Rav set an alarm so we could sneak out to see him. See, the ghost doesn’t leave if you wake up while he’s leaving the presents!”

“…. Oh.” Daenril frowned in thought as he re-evaluated everything his parents (and Granddad Reanden) had told him about the Life Day ghost. “Does the ghost visit on Mandalore too?”

“Yeah!” Cuyan emphatically nodded again, hard enough to make his shaggy dark hair shift around on his head. “Dad says the ghost can got to everywhere in the whole galaxy on one Life Day. He’s a magic Force ghost.”

Uncle Sorand was something of an expert in Force-ghosts, or so Mama had said. Daenril guessed his uncle was probably correct on the matter. “Even Zakuul? An’ Cor’scant? An’ Dro…. an’ Drommin Kaas?”

“Dro-mund Kaas, Daenril. And yep!” Cuyan nodded. His neck had to be hurting now. “An’ Uncle Korin says he’s so magical, he can pick up presents for others an’ deliver ‘em!”

“Whaaat?”

“Yeah! ‘s now Ba’buir gets his presents to Odessen when he can’t visit here.”

“… That’s how Grandpa Jace sends presents? He gives ‘em to the ghost?! I thought he gived them to Daddy!”

“Yep!” Cuyan frowned. “Auntie Xaja said the ghost only sometimes comes to grownups. She said most grownups are too grumpy an’ adulty an’ grown up to see the ghost, ‘cos they don’t believe he exists.”

Daenril’s jaw dropped. “But why??”

“Dunno. Uncle Korin says most grownups stop having fun an’ the ghost only likes fun people. ‘s why Auntie Lana’s never seen him.”

“Is that why Auntie Lana throwed a book at Uncle Korin?”

“Yep.”

Daenril giggled. Auntie Lana and Uncle Korin bickering was almost as funny as Auntie Lana and Daddy arguing. Even if Mama always looked… what was the word Granddad used? ‘Exasperated’. “If we can gets a holo of the ghost, maybe Auntie Lana starts has’ing fun an’ the ghost lets her see him too?”

“Hmmmm.” Cuyan’s face wrinkled in thought. “Dad said ghosts don’t like being on holo.”

“But maybe if we ask real nicely! Mama says asking works most ‘times, with ‘please’ too.”

“Ooooh, manners. Granddad said the ghost likes good manners.” Cuyan grinned. “Rav’s got a holocam! We’ll get her to help!”

“An’ we’ll sneak awake for the ghost!” Daenril giggled again at his and his cousin’s plan. “’s foo’proof!” That was one of Uncle Korin’s favourite words.

“FooLproof.” But Cuyan still looked and felt excited. “I’ll go find Rav now!”

“Remember, buddy, the ghost doesn’t come until all the kids are asleep.” Daddy sat on the edge of Daenril’s bed to tuck him in, the glow from the child’s nightlight reflected off his implants. “So the sooner you close your eyes and start dreaming…”

“The sooner the ghost comes an’ it’s Life Day!” Daenril giggled excitedly, all but vibrating at his and Cuyan (and Rav’s) secret plan to wait for the ghost. “I s’eep right now, Daddy!”

Daddy paused and gave Daenril an inquisitive look. “You’re suspiciously hyper for somebody who’s supposed to be sleeping right away.”

“I not hyper!” Another giggle. “Just ‘xcited!”

“How did I know that last cookie before bedtime was a bad idea?…” Daddy sighed and looked up at the ceiling, then back down as Daenril giggled again. “You sound like you’re up to something, squirt.”

Uh-oh. Daddy couldn’t find out the plan to see the ghost! Daenril quickly sat up and emphatically shook his head. “Nu-uh, Daddy. I’s up to nothing.”

“Nothing, huh?” Daddy grinned, and suddenly Daenril shrieked as he was tickled, giggling around his squirming to get away from his father’s fingers. “You sure you’re up to nothing?”

“No, Daddy!” Daenril laughed and rolled frantically to the side, and would have fallen out of bed if Daddy hadn’t caught him. “Nothing! Me an’ Cuyan an’ Rav aren’t gonna sneak up an’ see the ghost!” That would totally fool Daddy, right?

“You and Cuyan and Rav aren’t going to sneak awake and see the ghost?” Daddy sounded like he was trying to not laugh.

“Nu-uh!” Daenril shook his head. “Not even a bit!”

“I’m sure the ghost will be happy to know that.” Daddy chuckled and tucked Daenril back into bed, and made sure his favourite stuffed nerf from Grandma Satele was in the blankets beside him. “Sweet dreams, buddy.”

“Is you an’ Mama going to sleeps too?”

“Soon. We need to finish setting up everything for the ghost.”

“Don’t forget the cookies, Daddy!”

“Oh, don’t worry. The cookies are the most important part for the ghost.” Daddy grinned and leaned down to kiss Daenril’s forehead. “Good night, squirt.”

“Night, Daddy!” Daenril squirmed down into the blankets and squeezed his eyes shut to convince his daddy that he was actually going to sleep fast tonight, and even added a fake snore for good measure. He heard what sounded like Daddy choking on a laugh right before his door was closed and footsteps quietly walked away.

If Daenril strained his ears, he could just hear Daddy quietly talking with Uncle Sorand out in the sitting room. “I’ve been well-assured that there are absolutely no plans to stay up and catch the ghost this year,” his voice drifted back with a quiet laugh.

“Strangely enough, Cuyan said the same thing.” Uncle Sorand’s Force-signature flared in Daenril’s senses with a feeling of amusement. “I’m sure Rav hiding her holocam under her pillow is a coincidence.”

“Of course.” Daddy chuckled. “Need a hand getting things set up?”

“Sure, if you’re offering. Xaja and Korin are getting everything out at least…”

Daenril grinned and burrowed deeper under the covers, waiting impatiently for the grownups to be finished setting up the sitting room for the ghost. They took so long though – he was almost actually asleep for real when his door slid open and Mama came in to check on him with a little kiss to his hair. The little snore he gave her had to convince her that he was really asleep, and maybe being cute from the way she tried to not laugh. 

Except that he wasn’t cute. He was too big to be cute. He was strong and handsome and tough, or so Uncle Korin said. Cute was for babies, or so he’d tried to explain to Mama so many times already (not that he thought she was getting it, since she kept trying to not laugh. Daddy and Granddad had both been less than helpful, because Daddy had just sat there with a grin and Granddad had hurried out of the room to burst into laughter.).

He cracked his eyes open as Mama finally left his room, catching a glimpse of her bright red hair just before the door slid closed again. The grownups all moved down away to their bedrooms, and the lights were turned off, and minutes later the door cracked open again. “You didn’t fall asleep, didja?” Cuyan whispered.

“No way!” Daenril scrambled out of bed and grabbed his nerf and his favourite soft blanket. “Where’s Rav?”

“Settin’ up our vantage point.” Cuyan rolled his eyes when Daenril stared in confusion. “That’s our spying place so we can see the ghost without getting caught.”

“Oh!” It paid to have smart Mandalorians for cousins who knew big words and terms like that. “Let’s go! The ghost will be here soon!”

Cuyan grinned and hurried down the hallway with his little cousin. True to his word, Rav had already set up their spying place with cushions from the couch and throw blankets, and was waiting with her trusty holocam and a grin. Daenril squirmed into the space between his cousins, Rav’s golden blonde curls brushing over his head and Cuyan’s arm draped over his back, and settled in to wait.

“Daenril!” Rav was shaking his shoulder insistently. The smaller child was startled to realize he’d dozed off. “Look! The ghost’s here!”

With a start, the little boy blinked himself awake and looked out from their blanket fort as Cuyan squirmed up beside him. He squinted out into the dark sitting room, illuminated only by the faint golden glow of the Life Day tree (a real tree that Uncle Sorand and Uncle Torian had brought in and strung up with lights, not one of the holotrees that Uncle Korin had offered). For a long moment, he couldn’t see anything, and frowned in dismay.

Then he saw the faint blue glow illuminating a humanoid shape and gasped, and almost ignored Cuyan elbowing him with a hissed “Shush!” He stared as the shape became brighter and more real. The ghost had long, dark robes, and long hair to his shoulders, although it was way darker than he’d thought it would be. For a minute, he wondered if this was a Sith ghost, even though he’d been assured by everyone knowledgeable on the subject that the ghost was friendly.

Then the ghost turned around and looked right at the cousins hiding in their blanket fort, and Daenril wasn’t sure what got his attention more: the scars on the ghost’s face, or his gentle hazel eyes. “Why, you three are up late,” he softly said, his voice low and rich and sounding like he was trying to not laugh.

“You’re the ghost!” Daenril squirmed out of the blanket fort and sat at the ghost’s feet, staring up at him in awe. “You’re real!”

“Told you!” Cuyan piped up as he joined Daenril. For all that he was a nine-year-old Mandalorian and tougher than almost everyone else who wasn’t a grownup already, he was still staring at the ghost in delight.

The ghost chuckled and knelt to look at the children easier. “Yes, I am. And you three are quite brave and stubborn to stay up this late looking for me.”

“Mama and Daddy said you don’t come when we’s not ‘sleep, so we fooled them!” Daenril beamed, quite proud of himself. One day he would be as good a spy as Daddy and Granddad!

The ghost’s grin got wider. “Yes, you did fool them.” His eyes twinkled as he glanced toward the hallway, like he knew something the children didn’t. “Very sneaky of you.”

Rav grinned as she settled in beside the boys. “Mister Ghost, sir… our uncle says that most grownups can’t see you, and most of ‘em don’t think you’re real. Can we get a holo to show ‘em?”

“Unfortunately, little one, a holo won’t work. Ghosts don’t show up in holos.” The ghost settled in to sit fully on the wampa rug on the floor. “Part of believing that I exist is just blind faith. Most children never ever see me, you know.”

“Oh.” Daenril looked over at his cousins. “How’re we gonna show Auntie Lana?”

“Ah, you’re talking about your Auntie Lana? I’ve got a secret for you.” The ghost gestured for the children to lean closer. “She already knows all about me. She just has to pretend that she doesn’t.”

“Why?”

The ghost hesitated. “Because… uh, it’s what helps me be able to get all over the galaxy in one night. The longer she can convince everyone she doesn’t think I’m real, the longer she can help me. But as soon as she realizes somebody knows the truth–”

“It’s a big secret then!” Cuyan hissed, eyes wide.

“Exactly.” The ghost seemed almost relieved. “So you mustn’t ever tell anyone that you know the truth, otherwise she can’t help me anymore.”

“We won’t!” Daenril nodded emphatically. “’Cos you gotta bring all the presents to all of everyone!”

“That’s right.” The ghost ruffled Daenril’s reddish-brown hair. It felt like a puff of air over his head. “And speaking of which…”

“You brought presents here!” Rav all but bounced upward.

The ghost laughed. “Yes, but I can’t leave them here until you’re asleep for real!” He made a shoo’ing motion back to the blanket fort, and waited until all three children had bundled themselves back into the pillows. “Sleep well, young ones.”

“Mister Ghost?” Daenril looked up as the ghost got back to his feet. “Are we gonna see you ‘gain next year?”

“Perhaps.” The ghost winked. “We shall see.” He waved his hand, just like the mind tricks Mama sometimes used, and Daenril felt his eyelids suddenly growing heavy. “Happy Life Day, little ones,” the ghost murmured. Daenril just felt his fuzzy blanket being tugged with the Force over his shoulders and his nerf being bundled tighter under his arm, and then he felt nothing but contented sleep.

She felt something. Xaja sat up and frowned at the sensation of a strong Force-presence in the sitting room. It wasn’t Sorand, who was asleep; Korin and her father were both out cold, as was Theron, and none of them had the same strength of that presence. Lana was in her own home, and Master Satele wasn’t arriving until the next day with Jace Malcom. And the presence most definitely wasn’t Senya or Arcann, both of whom were on Zakuul. Then who…

The former Jedi slipped out of bed and shrugged one of Theron’s sweatshirts on over her head, and padded down the hallway on silent bare feet. No feelings of danger– that was good. She poked her head into the sitting room, and smiled when she saw her son and her niece and nephew curled up in a blanket fort, all sound asleep. Not sneaking up to see the ghost, my ass. Four year olds had never been good liars, which was her and Theron’s only saving grace with their mischievous son.

Then she saw the blue glow as the ghost returned and instinctively reached a hand back to her and Theron’s room, and one of the lightsabers she’d left on her bedside table. The ghost quickly raised his hands. “At ease, Master Taerich. I’ve already had enough of an ass-kicking from you to last a few lifetimes.”

“You’re the ghost? You, of all people?” Xaja shook her head. “For kriff’s sake, Revan!”

Revan shrugged. “I spent three hundred years in captivity and not able to see my own son, or any of my descendants until Satele and Theron, and we both know how much I karked that up. Let me have a chance to be Grandpa Revan this once!” He looked back over at the blanket fort. “The children are perfectly fine, I promise. They’re just asleep, for real this time.” He lingered as Xaja slipped around him to check on the children, not at ease until she saw all three breathing and smiling contentedly in their sleep, Daenril curled up against Cuyan’s back with his stuffed nerf tightly in his arms.

The redhead finally sat back as she brushed her fingers through Rav’s blonde locks. “Revan, the Prodigal Knight, one-time Dark Lord of the Sith, and Guy With The Worst Ideas For Galactic Peace Ever, now moonlighting as the benevolent ghost of Life Day. Nobody would ever believe it.”

“I know. It’s quite liberating.” Revan smiled affectionately at the children, then looked back at Xaja and offered her a bow. “A merry Life Day to you, Master Taerich.”

She blinked, and he was gone, his presence fading back into the Force. “Son of a bitch,” she finally murmured, shaking her head as she checked on the children again. Really, she should move at least her son back to his own bed, but he seemed so comfortable right now. The former Jedi smiled and pressed a gentle kiss into her son’s hair before getting up and returning back to her own bed. Theron would never believe this… she mused as she slipped back under the blankets and snuggled up to Theron’s back, and felt him roll over in his sleep and tug her close against him. Maybe it was just the cookies. Yeah. That was it…

She stayed very quiet when she saw the plush replica of the Ebon Hawk under Daenril’s arm the next morning beside the nerf, when she knew it hadn’t come from her or Theron.