The Jedi Temple, Atton's Coruscant, 3949 BBY, Saturday

[suitably_heroic]

After Sparkle had left last weekend, Atton'd spent one glorious half day rolling around in ignorance for as long as he could. The next day, the then-upcoming date had struck him, and he had hidden away in his apartment and gotten spectacularly drunk. The day after, they had held a small, respectful mourning ceremony, and they had sat together and traded stories about Meetra for hours.

Well, the others had, anyway. Atton had mostly brooded in the back.

On Tuesday, he'd beaten the hell out of holotargets for hours. On Wednesday, Mical had yelled at him for aggravating his healing wounds, and shoved him in a kolto tank. On Thursday, still reeking of kolto, Atton had resumed lurking around his apartment.

Now it was Saturday, and Sparkle was showing up, and while Atton had only ten percent of his usual motivation to do this, he had left his apartment. He was sitting on the steps of the Temple now, smoking an Earth cigarette and glaring at passers-by. A more difficult exercise than it seemed; most foot traffic kept a respectful distance of the Temple itself. Still, he managed.

Somehow.

[[ for the kid, and phone calls, what have you. ]]

Comments

[electrocynic]

"What?"

She paused.

"You're not Alex."

Good, it had now been established everyone involved in this conversation had workable hearing.

[suitably_heroic]

"No, I'm not," Atton said, scowling at his phone. "What?"

Since that sort-of-question hadn't been answered yet.

[electrocynic]

"Wow, this phone really is a piece of shit." Did that answer the question? "D'you think I could use that as a reason not to go to this bullshit retreat thing?"

[suitably_heroic]

"What bullshit retreat thing?" Atton sighed. At least he could scrounge up a vague modicum of sounding like he actually cared.

[electrocynic]

The eyerolling was so close to being audible. "Jenny found some fucking countryside retreat thing for capes," she said. "Says it's supposed to help us fucking calm and center ourselves. As if I need to be more calm!"

Sure you didn't.

"Anyway, it sounds like hippie bollocks to me. Dunno why I said I'd go, probably to shut her up."

[suitably_heroic]

"Or maybe you like hanging out with her and you have to justify it by complaining first."

Atton wasn't in the mood for the whole back-and-forth right now, especially not when he couldn't stop thinking about how much time he'd wasted.

[electrocynic]

That shut her up.

For a whole three seconds, anyway. "When did you get a degree in psychology?"

[suitably_heroic]

Atton rolled his eyes, then realized she couldn't actually see that. "I'm not blind," he said. "Or deaf, in this case."

And had made a whole career out of pretending to be much less perceptive than he really was which he'd never quite managed to shake.

[electrocynic]

"The retreat's still bullshit," she told him, making a face. "And I'd much rather spend time with her down at the pub, like a normal person. Can't believe Don's getting out of going because he says he has a doctor's note that says he's not allowed near therapeutic things anymore."

[suitably_heroic]

"You could just tell her you don't want to go," Atton said. "I hear that's a thing adults do."

[electrocynic]

Sarah scowled. "You haven't seen the face she makes when you tell her no."

It was like kicking a puppy!

[suitably_heroic]

"Awwww," Atton said, "Is someone all squishy-hearted?"

[electrocynic]

"Don't be absurd."

Absolutely. But only with select people, and reluctantly.

[suitably_heroic]

"Then is her superpower puppy faces, or what?"

[electrocynic]

"Super strength, actually, but it might as well be that." She huffed. "You've got no right to judge, space boy. You haven't seen it."

[suitably_heroic]

"I have every right to judge," Atton said. Well, he did. "I just don't feel like judging right now, past the point where you're complaining at me because you can't say no to something."

[electrocynic]

"I'm complaining because it's bullshit." No, she was complaining because she couldn't say no. "And you're still judging a little."

[suitably_heroic]

"You know what, I don't really care," Atton said.

And he didn't. Not this week. "Keep whining about having to spend time with your friend. Oh no, how much is that going to suck."

[electrocynic]

Hey, it was the location that was the issue.

"Jealous?" she asked dryly, the weakest defence of someone feeling a little chastised.

[suitably_heroic]

"Yes," Atton snapped. Then added, more sarcastically. "Totally. Space."

[electrocynic]

Okay.

"You are more than welcome to go instead of me," Sarah drawled, for want of a better thing to say. "You can be Jenny's new friend."

She was aggressively friendly.

[suitably_heroic]

There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

Then: "Sarah, I'm not doing this this week. Have fun with your friend or something."

Click.

[electrocynic]

Well, fuck. Sarah frowned at the phone for a long moment.

When she eventually went to call Alex – again – she did so the non-powered way. Just to be sure there'd be no confusion this time.

Safer that way.