A bar on the mainland- Saturday evening

[notconflicted]

It had been months since Sia had been able to go out unescorted (even Jessica technically served in a professional capacity), and she only had to go to a whole other galaxy to do it. And the reason why she was here was pretty unexpected after all these months.

She found a table- not the bar since she didn't really want to deal with a bartender as a third party today- and sat down to wait. She wouldn't say she was nervous; maybe wary of how things would go? But if they'd gotten to this point they'd probably be fine.

And if not, she was already in a bar.


[For one!]

Comments

[suitably_heroic]

"For now," Atton said, tapping his foot against the floor. "Until everyone's sympathy runs out and I get Mira's workload shoved on me."

[notconflicted]

"As long as you get time before that happens."

She'd been through a lot of thoughts in the last eight months, but she hadn't stopped caring.

[suitably_heroic]

"Right now is time," Atton said, after a pause.

And then took a gulp of his drink big enough to drown himself with.

[notconflicted]

Sometimes it was probably helpful that bars had always been their go-to places.

"There are things I want to ask, and I'm not sure if I should," she said. Because yes, there was some awkwardness here in knowing what was okay and what wasn't now. Eight months ago she would have been more confident in it, so, might as well admit it.

[suitably_heroic]

Atton sighed. He set his glass down.

"Look, part of me kind of wanted to bolt on this," he said. "But I somehow managed to make it in here, and there are things even I won't run away from when I'm in them."

He eyed his glass.

"So ask away," he said. "I'll say no if I don't want to answer."

[notconflicted]

"All right," she nodded, and sipped her drink that she might just hate. "Do you actually want to go back?"

[suitably_heroic]

"Want to go back to what?" said Atton, who'd get her a real alcoholic one later.

[notconflicted]

"Coruscant. Getting Mira's workload shoved on you," she said.

[suitably_heroic]

"Yeah," Atton said.

He was surprised that he didn't even hesitate.

[notconflicted]

So was she. "Really."

[suitably_heroic]

"I'll probably keep Fandom as my home base for a while," Atton said slowly. "But they need me over there."

[notconflicted]

"That's good. You've seemed better since you threw in with them," she said honestly.

Until that thing. But that wasn't the Jedi's fault.

[suitably_heroic]

Atton sighed and said something he hadn't really said to anyone but Mical before.

"What can I say, I like being useful," he said. "Always have. When I'm doing nothing, I just play pazaak and hate myself, which is no way to live."

[notconflicted]

"It's really not," she agreed. "You have grown up."

[suitably_heroic]

"Really? It just feels like I've gotten taller," Atton drawled. He was running out of drink to drown himself in. "So how's life on your end?"

[notconflicted]

"Endlessly frustrating," she said with a wry little smile.

[suitably_heroic]

"Beginning to understand why Sith leaders are constantly stabbing each other, right?" Atton said.

[notconflicted]

"Sith do it for power. I don't understand that at all," Sia said.

[suitably_heroic]

Atton shrugged. "Some things are a lot easier when you have power."

[notconflicted]

"You would think," she said, sipping the drink a little faster because if they were going to get on this topic, she'd prefer to have alcohol.

[suitably_heroic]

"You want me to get something harder than that," Atton asked, gaze dipping down to her drink.

Look, he hadn't wanted to be drunk right from the get-go.

[notconflicted]

"Please. Nothing with tomato," she told him.

[suitably_heroic]

"No tomato? Being an empress has made you all demanding," Atton said, sliding out of his seat and heading up to the bar to get something more alcoholic.

Maybe something involving tequila.

[notconflicted]

"I've always been demanding," she called after him.

[suitably_heroic]

"You don't deserve the margaritas I'm about to get!" Atton hollered back.

Sometimes you just had to have margaritas.