He can't decide if that's better or worse. It's not a surprise she's more cynical given what he knows of her life, but he does kind of hope they can find some sort of common ground without walking on eggshells all the time.
"You can read whatever you like. There aren't any limits, and it's accessible to anyone who wants to use it." Even civilians! Even though his aides tend to push for them to at least have a general idea of what they want to read. "Alderaan's library is also quite large, if you'd like to look while we're here."
"Are you always this accommodating?" No limits, always accessible, all the books she could imagine. He continues to be kinder than she thinks she deserves. She shifts her legs, crossing one ankle over the other which presses her shin against his thigh. Again it seems incidental, like she doesn't really notice.
Honestly she doesn't think she'll get much reading done here, since all she can really imagine doing is sleeping. Imagine the sheer decadence of being able to sleep in...
"You're going to be my wife in a matter of days. I'm not interested in making life any more difficult for either of us." He was never going to marry for love, but he always told himself at least he would try to be nice to his future spouse. He hopes Jyn doesn't decide to throw it all back in his face.
Cassian doesn't stiffen when her leg presses into his, but a line of tension does run through him, though it isn't like he's uncomfortable. It's just - odd. She is not a people person at all, but she doesn't seem to care about crossing into his space. He drops his hand to his leg, but the side of his pinky brushes her shin. Meant to be incidental, and there's nothing about him that suggests otherwise, even if it is a test of his own.
When his finger grazes her bare skin she notices. She doesn't move her legs because she's finally gotten comfortable like that, but she notices, head lifting from the window to flicker between his hand and his eyes.
"It does make me wonder what absurdities I could ask for to see if you'd give it to me." What can she get away with. Would be buy her a hippopotamus? He'd already offered to make her favorite food for her even if it would be ridiculously difficult to pull off.
He notices that she notices, and while normally he'd pull his hand away, she still doesn't pull her legs away, so he leaves it just as is. His gaze stays idly on her, at least until she asks her question and he ducks his head to hide a snort.
"A hot air balloon would not be useful in Fest. Too snowy."
Edited (completely different kind of balloon ) 2017-07-13 03:53 (UTC)
"A bear, then. I'd like a bear. With a saddle and armor."
She wants an armoured bear like one she might have read about once or maybe it was a fairy tale. Either way she looks completely serious, eyes clear and firm. She wants a bear, an armoured bear with a saddle that she can ride into battle.
He stares at her for a long few seconds, not quite sure if he should take her seriously despite how sure of it she looks. She as good as said she was just going to see how far she could get him to bend over backwards in what she wants, but he is definitely not getting her a live bear.
"I'm not keeping a bear in the castle." There's a pause. "Or outside it in any of the barns either. I'll get you a different present."
Damn it, he thought of outdoors. Her eyes narrow a little but a smirk is trying to fight its way onto her stubborn mouth, the mirth sparking in her eyes as she nudges her leg against his thigh on purpose this time.
"What kind of present?" This is important. She wants to know now.
Oh that's a different kind of look on her face. His mouth teases with his own grin, his face looking a little less closed off even as she pushes her leg into him. He taps his fingers on her leg in return.
"It's a present. You're not supposed to know what it is until you get it or open it."
She likes the warm tap of his fingers though and that's an odd thought. Maybe it's the familiarity or the ease of the action, but either way she doesn't mind. Which is odd because for the most part she doesn't like being touched.
For someone else who doesn't like being touched, he's at an odd ease in being so close to her right now. Maybe that's a good sign. He keeps his fingers on her leg, even if the taps slow and idle.
He wrinkles his nose, mostly on purpose for the exaggeration and lightness of it. "And why would I give you a bomb?"
Oh no he's so cute when he's teasing. Jyn feels her stomach flip flop but she brushes it off on being hungry and waiting for their food. It's nothing.
"We'll be married then so what is mine will be yours and Aria Prime and Grange are both mine. Papa is regent of both in my stead but he doesn't have any real claim to either because he's not royal by birth and Mama died before she could change the laws. Since we have no heirs and I have no family with any claim to my title, it will revert to you if I die." She shrugs. "The Alliance will still have lived up to its side of the bargain with Saw, but there won't be an unruly princess to manage."
The teasing fades into a frown. He can't exactly refute her logic, because it's a fairly sound strategy on the upfront and one the Empire itself has probably used. He knows he has done plenty of less than moral things, but after sitting and talking with Jyn, the idea of this makes him feel uncomfortable enough to churn his stomach. It reminds him a little bit of how terrible he is.
"I would be charged with murder," is what he says factually. "It would be immediately suspicious." He turns away and looks out over the room, hand going completely still. "The Rebellion is not the Empire. I'm not going to - give you a bomb."
Oh no he's not teasing anymore. Jyn's stomach sinks this time when she realizes that she took the teasing a little too far. She'd told them she wasn't cut out for this. She's not social enough to notice when she's gone too far or too dark. This isn't prison anymore, she can't speak without thinking.
"I know that."
She draws her legs back, tucking them under the skirt of her dress to give him space, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. After a moment, she simply looks out the window again. It's no wonder everyone left her, she can't even hold a conversation without ruining it.
She pulls back and he already misses her there. It's not that Cassian doesn't get gallow either, but in this moment it feels too close to home from a virtual stranger, even if she hadn't meant it that way. He feels a little bad anyway, not wanting her to feel like she needs to close herself off.
The best way to handle the weirdness is to just ignore it, clearly. He doesn't want to tell her that a bomb for a present isn't that far off from something he might do.
His tone is calm. Easy. He's relaxed himself. "I won't wrap the present, so you can see what it is, but not until the day of. Deal?"
There's no enthusiasm in her agreement, perfunctory at best. She'd usually fight it, badgering him into telling her what her gift will be, because she hasn't even received a gift since she was a little girl, but the brief souring of the mood cloaks her in familiar unhappiness.
She said she would try to be his friend so she doesn't politely request he leave so she can mope in solitude.
It's agreement but it falls flat. He probably overreacted and now she's shutting off again. It's completely understandable, but it was starting to feel like maybe they could get along well. Time, he reminds himself, it'll take more time than that.
He feels strangely at a loss for words, but he's spared any stretching awkward silence by a very impatient knock on the door. "I am only knocking because it's polite, but there should not be anything to interrupt regardless."
Cassian sighs. "It's not even closed, K."
K2 slowly pushes open the door with his foot, squinting at Cassian on the couch. Seemingly satisfied they aren't touching (anymore at least), he walks over carrying a tray with two soup bowls, still steaming and smelling delicious. He sets it on the table next to the couch towards Jyn's side. "The broth is from yesterday, but everything else is fresh."
What a fussy, bristly man. Jyn has to fight the urge to roll her eyes at K2's dramatics -- because he is being dramatic -- and she only just barely stops herself, distracted by the soup set in front of her.
Once it's there she knows she's going to have to stop herself from inhaling it all at once and then finding herself utterly sick.
"Thanks. Are you going to eavesdrop on us when we're married as well?" Jyn figures she might as well ask K2 right out. She doesn't really mind, because she knew he was there, but she does also figure it wouldn't hurt to prepare herself for being watched with slightly less disdain than they'd showed her in prison.
K2 is the most fussy. "No. It will be unnecessary because you will be married and whatever you do isn't anyone's business. I will, however, still be with Cassian in Fest per the usual nature of my job." There's a pause. "You're both welcome, for the soup. Do you need anything else?"
Cassian shakes his head. "I'd tell you that you don't need to wait outside the door, but that's pointless. Thank you."
"Well I'm not going to wait here." He bristles again, though maybe he's mostly worried Cassian is giving up his own happiness when he might not need to. Either way, K2 bows slightly to both of them before leaving the room. He closes the door behind him, and even though it's still open a crack, it's a smaller crack than it was before. Call it a good gesture.
Cassian nods towards the soups. "Is it still too hot to touch or hold?"
Jyn scoops up the bowl before answering. It is definitely too hot to hold in her bare hands, which she discovers very quickly, gathering her skirt in one hand and settling the bowl in it before lifting it up with the delicate layers of fabric protecting her hands.
"Yes, it is far too hot." A beat, her eyes fluttering closed as she takes a deep breath. "But it smells so good."
She doesn't want to wait to eat it, but she knows she will just burn her tongue if she tries so she contents herself with breathing in the steam until it cools. She blows on it a bit, though she doesn't think it'll help much, at least she can focus on the way the steam twirls into little tornadoes. And, "At least I've found a use for this stupid dress."
He watches her problem solving with a very quiet amusement, still feeling a little awkward over the way he'd stiffened up. It helps to imagine the conniption Draven would probably be having right now, but she's very creative.
"It's a thick enough fabric to mask the heat, the material is from Fest. I wonder if this room has a blanket."
He climbs up off the sofa to do just that, but pauses at the sight of the soup on the table. "Unless you don't mind me using the tray."
There is so much pale leg showing thanks to her gathered skirts that if K2 peeked through the door he might also have a conniption. If only. Both of them walking in at the same time would be a riot.
She looks up at him and shakes her head. "It's alright. Unless you'd like to use my dress. It would look quite fetching on you." Her expression stays perfectly straight and composed, no hint of humor. He would look rather pretty in her dress.
He is very aware of her leg and he is stubbornly not looking, even though the temptation is there. He's not about to do that to her.
Cassian lifts up the tray and shoots her a little bit of a look before he settles back down next to her on the couch. He stays just as straight and composed. "The color would suit me, but I'm afraid it's probably too small."
"It would be a bit snug, I suppose, but that is what the corset is for, isn't it? Squeeze it all in." He's right though, the color would suit him. The pale blue is almost the exact shade of her pale skin, though Jyn is more of a rosy pale, but on Cassian it would make his tan skin practically glow.
Maybe she just wants everyone else to suffer the same discomfort as her. She'd gotten used to pants.
He cares. So he does not look, because his self control is most excellent.
"I'd be more concerned about the shoulders. It'd have to be fitted." He's much broader than she is too, ok.
The blue doesn't wash out Jyn completely, but it is kind of too light for her. They should have given her a darker blue, if they were determined to stick to blues and whites.
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ohnofeelstho2017-06-16 12:11 am
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"You can read whatever you like. There aren't any limits, and it's accessible to anyone who wants to use it." Even civilians! Even though his aides tend to push for them to at least have a general idea of what they want to read. "Alderaan's library is also quite large, if you'd like to look while we're here."
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Honestly she doesn't think she'll get much reading done here, since all she can really imagine doing is sleeping. Imagine the sheer decadence of being able to sleep in...
God, she can't wait to fall asleep.
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Cassian doesn't stiffen when her leg presses into his, but a line of tension does run through him, though it isn't like he's uncomfortable. It's just - odd. She is not a people person at all, but she doesn't seem to care about crossing into his space. He drops his hand to his leg, but the side of his pinky brushes her shin. Meant to be incidental, and there's nothing about him that suggests otherwise, even if it is a test of his own.
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"It does make me wonder what absurdities I could ask for to see if you'd give it to me." What can she get away with. Would be buy her a hippopotamus? He'd already offered to make her favorite food for her even if it would be ridiculously difficult to pull off.
"Would you find me a hot air balloon?"
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"A hot air balloon would not be useful in Fest. Too snowy."
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She wants an armoured bear like one she might have read about once or maybe it was a fairy tale. Either way she looks completely serious, eyes clear and firm. She wants a bear, an armoured bear with a saddle that she can ride into battle.
"It can be a wedding present."
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"I'm not keeping a bear in the castle." There's a pause. "Or outside it in any of the barns either. I'll get you a different present."
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"What kind of present?" This is important. She wants to know now.
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"It's a present. You're not supposed to know what it is until you get it or open it."
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She likes the warm tap of his fingers though and that's an odd thought. Maybe it's the familiarity or the ease of the action, but either way she doesn't mind. Which is odd because for the most part she doesn't like being touched.
"I don't like surprises. What if it's a bomb?"
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He wrinkles his nose, mostly on purpose for the exaggeration and lightness of it. "And why would I give you a bomb?"
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"We'll be married then so what is mine will be yours and Aria Prime and Grange are both mine. Papa is regent of both in my stead but he doesn't have any real claim to either because he's not royal by birth and Mama died before she could change the laws. Since we have no heirs and I have no family with any claim to my title, it will revert to you if I die." She shrugs. "The Alliance will still have lived up to its side of the bargain with Saw, but there won't be an unruly princess to manage."
no subject
"I would be charged with murder," is what he says factually. "It would be immediately suspicious." He turns away and looks out over the room, hand going completely still. "The Rebellion is not the Empire. I'm not going to - give you a bomb."
no subject
"I know that."
She draws her legs back, tucking them under the skirt of her dress to give him space, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. After a moment, she simply looks out the window again. It's no wonder everyone left her, she can't even hold a conversation without ruining it.
no subject
The best way to handle the weirdness is to just ignore it, clearly. He doesn't want to tell her that a bomb for a present isn't that far off from something he might do.
His tone is calm. Easy. He's relaxed himself. "I won't wrap the present, so you can see what it is, but not until the day of. Deal?"
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There's no enthusiasm in her agreement, perfunctory at best. She'd usually fight it, badgering him into telling her what her gift will be, because she hasn't even received a gift since she was a little girl, but the brief souring of the mood cloaks her in familiar unhappiness.
She said she would try to be his friend so she doesn't politely request he leave so she can mope in solitude.
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He feels strangely at a loss for words, but he's spared any stretching awkward silence by a very impatient knock on the door. "I am only knocking because it's polite, but there should not be anything to interrupt regardless."
Cassian sighs. "It's not even closed, K."
K2 slowly pushes open the door with his foot, squinting at Cassian on the couch. Seemingly satisfied they aren't touching (anymore at least), he walks over carrying a tray with two soup bowls, still steaming and smelling delicious. He sets it on the table next to the couch towards Jyn's side. "The broth is from yesterday, but everything else is fresh."
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Once it's there she knows she's going to have to stop herself from inhaling it all at once and then finding herself utterly sick.
"Thanks. Are you going to eavesdrop on us when we're married as well?" Jyn figures she might as well ask K2 right out. She doesn't really mind, because she knew he was there, but she does also figure it wouldn't hurt to prepare herself for being watched with slightly less disdain than they'd showed her in prison.
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Cassian shakes his head. "I'd tell you that you don't need to wait outside the door, but that's pointless. Thank you."
"Well I'm not going to wait here." He bristles again, though maybe he's mostly worried Cassian is giving up his own happiness when he might not need to. Either way, K2 bows slightly to both of them before leaving the room. He closes the door behind him, and even though it's still open a crack, it's a smaller crack than it was before. Call it a good gesture.
Cassian nods towards the soups. "Is it still too hot to touch or hold?"
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"Yes, it is far too hot." A beat, her eyes fluttering closed as she takes a deep breath. "But it smells so good."
She doesn't want to wait to eat it, but she knows she will just burn her tongue if she tries so she contents herself with breathing in the steam until it cools. She blows on it a bit, though she doesn't think it'll help much, at least she can focus on the way the steam twirls into little tornadoes. And, "At least I've found a use for this stupid dress."
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"It's a thick enough fabric to mask the heat, the material is from Fest. I wonder if this room has a blanket."
He climbs up off the sofa to do just that, but pauses at the sight of the soup on the table. "Unless you don't mind me using the tray."
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She looks up at him and shakes her head. "It's alright. Unless you'd like to use my dress. It would look quite fetching on you." Her expression stays perfectly straight and composed, no hint of humor. He would look rather pretty in her dress.
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Cassian lifts up the tray and shoots her a little bit of a look before he settles back down next to her on the couch. He stays just as straight and composed. "The color would suit me, but I'm afraid it's probably too small."
She is not his size at all!
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"It would be a bit snug, I suppose, but that is what the corset is for, isn't it? Squeeze it all in." He's right though, the color would suit him. The pale blue is almost the exact shade of her pale skin, though Jyn is more of a rosy pale, but on Cassian it would make his tan skin practically glow.
Maybe she just wants everyone else to suffer the same discomfort as her. She'd gotten used to pants.
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"I'd be more concerned about the shoulders. It'd have to be fitted." He's much broader than she is too, ok.
The blue doesn't wash out Jyn completely, but it is kind of too light for her. They should have given her a darker blue, if they were determined to stick to blues and whites.
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