That's no moon... Wait, no, it's a moon.

[scruffier]

In which Our Heroes (?) stop for blaster practice, assuming the kids can stop bothering each other for two minutes, so help me, I will turn this light freighter around and we will not get ice cream.

Comments

[icanfix]

"I know that," she says peevishly, but she watches his hand closely and adjusts her grip accordingly. It does feel a lot more comfortable like this. So she lets herself indulge in a little bit of curiosity.

"Why does your lightsaber have those bits on the side?" she asks. "Doesn't that make it harder to wield?"

[beensolo]

At least she's following his example. It would be nice if she would do so without the sass. "Better."

His lightsaber is something that he's actually not unhappy to talk about. "Those are lateral vents. The cracked crystal inside generates too much power and heat for a traditional hilt design to contain." After a moment's hesitation, he holds it out for her inspection, hand open. It's nowhere near as polished and refined as the saber Rey possesses. "You want to know how they work, don't you?"

[icanfix]

Rey hesitates as well before putting Luke's lightsaber in her pouch and taking Kylo's. The mechanic in her — in defiance of the rest of her, which is still frightened of it — is itching to take it apart to understand how it works. Examining it close up like this is the next best thing.

"Wouldn't it make more sense to angle the vents upward?" she asks. "Lessen the risk of hurting yourself while swinging the blade."

[beensolo]

He scowls, but manages to keep it civil. "It's a classic design. Have you heard of the Scourge of Malachor?"

[icanfix]

Classic doesn't always mean better, Rey wants to point out, but then he asks about the Scourge of Malachor.

"No," she says. "What's the Scourge of Malachor?"

[beensolo]

"A legend. Allegedly, a band of force-sensitives who rejected both the light and the dark side in favor of the chaos of neutrality razed the civilizations on Malachor, leaving a barren wasteland in their wake."

The way she looks at his lightsaber like she wants to take it apart is beginning to make him uncomfortable, but her curiosity is... appreciated? No, that's a strong word.

[icanfix]

"...and what, this is modeled after their lightsabers?" Of course it would be. His hero is Darth Vader. Why wouldn't he design his costume after a bunch of psychotic mass murderers?

She seriously does not understand how he is Han's son.

[scruffier]

The fact that they're having something approaching a civil conversation keeps Han quiet for a while; and honestly, it's interesting to hear those answers. He'd been debating asking Ben about his saber but it's a bit of a delicate subject between them. The legend he mentions... Is interesting, too. Knowing how Ben has always been torn between the light and the darkness, the choice seems significant.

But they're here for a reason, so when there's a bit of a lull after that, he steps back into the conversation.

"Ready to try again?"

He's trying to keep it upbeat, encouraging. It isn't an act; the fact that she's actually accepting help has him genuinely feeling optimistic, and the fact that Ben is slightly curbing his tendency to be an arrogant ass around her is encouraging, too.

[beensolo]

Excuse you, they were not a bunch of mass murderers. They were visionaries and renegades trying to free themselves from a dichotomy that has split force-users since the rise of the Jedi.

A conversation for another day.

He holds his hand out to Rey for his lightsaber. "Unless you intend to practice with it, I'll take it back." Look, it's going to take time for him to figure out how to stop being an arrogant ass.

[icanfix]

By razing entire civilizations. Does he have no appreciation for the value of a person's life? Rey can't wrap her mind around it.

She gladly hands him back the saber, and tries not to think about all the blood it must have shed.

"I'd probably kill myself trying to use it," she says. "I still can't see how you don't."

[scruffier]

Come on, kids, no more talk of dying. He's trying to encourage avoiding dying right now. Han takes a few steps back and glances to Ben, waiting for him to give her some distance too, waiting for Rey to lift the lightsaber.

"Feeling, not seeing," he reminds her. If Ben has any words of wisdom... Maybe he should hold onto them. Maybe not. Han has no idea whether she'll listen or get her hackles up.

[beensolo]

He does an almost-smiling thing with his face when he takes the weapon back. "Practice."

And then he takes many steps back because he doesn't want to be in Rey's swinging range. He doesn't offer any additional advice, but he'll be watching carefully to see what else she's going to need to work on.