-
The story made Taataani smile, not just because of the heart-felt way he told it, but because she had to find humor in the farce of his self deprecation. He tried so hard to pretend he was a coward.
"And jyou sso jimprressed herr wjith jyourr pjilotjing sskjill that sshe'ss had no causse to leave jyourr ssjide."
The Matron patted his arm as they walked, enjoying her part in meddling with the narrative.
"Sshe rremjindss me of me when jI wass jyoungerr. Not that jI everr...well, jI wouldn't know what to do wjith a gun. But jI alrreadjy ljike herr."
Suddenly stopping, she looked at her former pilot a bit critically.
"jYou know, jI bought jyou morre than a few njice outfjitss, would jit kjill jyou to wearr ssome of them? jI thjink Enedrra would ljike to ssee jyou jin them."
-
Ben was about to answer with an addendum that she left, and he did his own thing before the rest of the words started sinking into his head.
"Uh, what? She would?" He looked down at himself. Standard jumpsuit, this time a dark green. It was his 'going out' jumpsuit. "Oh. Yeah, well, I don't find myself going to illustrious dinner parties as often as I used to. That high society lifestyle chewed me up and spit me out faster than a... than a... well, it was pretty kriffing fast."
He grinned, enjoying this more comfortable banter compared to the very emotional words of before.
"I don't think I'm cut out for the hound-eat-hound world of the upper class," he said wistfully, looking up and into the distance.
-
"Drresss forr the job jyou want, not the job jyou have, and all."
Of course that wasn't at all the point, and Taataani took on a mischievous look.
"And on top of jyourr talent, jyou'rre loveljy to look at, whjich jiss alwajyss a boon. jIf thjiss woman jiss gojing to prrotect jyou, catchjing herr ejye jiss all the morre jincentjive."
-
"I am lovely? Well, yeah, I am." Ben preened outlandishly, letting Taa lead him through a pair of doors into a large hallway. The hall ended with a seemingly solid wall of transparisteel, through which Ned could be seen looking out over the smog covered city.
Down there, he remembered, was a ship with his name on it. He wondered what it looked like.
"Wouldn't my roguish loveliness be a distraction in the heat of battle?" Ben asked with a grin. "Besides, you're about the only one I've ever heard say I was good lookin'. Even my old squeeze said I wasn't the prettiest man she'd ever slept with."
He shrugged.
"I was not blessed with an attractive face, and that's a fact," he said with a placid equanimity. "I like to think I got an extra pile of sanity to make up for it."
-
Taataani almost rolled her eyes in exasperation at Ben's indefatigable modesty. Instead, she planted a kiss on his cheek - a bless your heart implied within, which both was and wasn't a compliment. He saw the caterpillar, and she, the butterfly. The Matron just had to laugh off her frustration at not quite knowing how to bring about the metamorphosis within her pilot.
"Go fjind jyourr sshjip, Captajin. Make jit a fasst one."
Another kiss, more earnest this time, and she pressed him on his way as she parted.
"And Ben? Tell Enedrra jI would ljike to talk to herr."
Taataani's smile still remained, but somewhat inscrutable. She reluctantly let her eyes part his company and looked out the window he'd gazed from.
-
"Go fjind jyourr sshjip, Captajin. Make jit a fasst one."
"Can you see me getting something that wasn't?" Ben smiled as he detached himself from Taa, patting her arm a few times to reassure her.
"And Ben?"
He stopped, turning to look back at his almost former employer.
"Tell Enedrra jI would ljike to talk to herr."
"Can do," he said, nodding. He turned and watched the seamless transparisteel doors open almost magically while he exited onto the balcony, turning back and giving Taa an impressed look while the doors slid shut.
Ned had turned back, and was looking at him almost quizzically.
"It got... pretty heavy in there," he answered, though immediately after he said it, he wondered whether he had answered a question she hadn't asked. "Mama Taa wants to talk to you. She likes you, so it shouldn't be too much, but I'll be the first to say she's a mystery and a half. I figure I'll get started on hunting us down a ship. I got a commlink, so contact me through that once you're done talking with her."
