Office hours [all day]

[sith_happened]

It wasn't that Anakin was pleased Ben was off on a mission, but he'd gotten his workout this morning in the hour and a half it took him to dig his car out of the snowbank the plow had thrown over it. (He'd retaliated by dumping half of the snow on one annoying neighbor's car.)

He'd gotten to the island with no one on the mainland noticing that his car's tires didn't actually touch the ground--Anakin's habit of tweaking technology had come in handy.

Now he sat in his office with both hands wrapped around a mug of coffee and wished for summer.

The door was open.

Comments

[sith_happened]

"With the drunken vampire," Anakin repeated. "I don't understand this place at all."

[solo_sword]

"A little late to the party on that one, don't you think?" she asked. She'd been saying that for two and a half years.

[sith_happened]

"Normally, I'm fine," Anakin complained. "But vampires who don't eat people are supposed to be emo and broody."

[solo_sword]

Jaina would not have thought she'd be laughing at all today, and yet. She'd blame the lack of sleep. "Yeah, no."

[sith_happened]

"Yuh huh," Anakin said maturely. "The one I know is."

Because clearly that applied to all vampires who weren't treating humans as walking Happy Meals.

[solo_sword]

"And the one I know isn't. Your point?"

[sith_happened]

"That there's something wrong with yours," Anakin decided.

[solo_sword]

"He is not mine," Jaina said quickly. The only person that was hers wasn't calling her, thank you very much.

[sith_happened]

Anakin's eyebrow shot up. "Yours as an assignment," he clarified, giving her a probing look.

[solo_sword]

Right. "Long week," she said by way of explanation.

[sith_happened]

"Tell me about it?" he asked.

[solo_sword]

"I've been awake for far longer than any sane person should, my friend's playing tactician somewhere I can't help, it's Valentine's Day and John's out of contact, I testify next week, and I think I'm firing February."

She played it calm, but she was a lot more stressed than she was willing to let on.

[sith_happened]

Anakin's look was sympathetic. "Maybe you don't need coffee," he said. "Is the lack of sleep due to the three problems, or something else?"

[solo_sword]

"Vampires are nocturnal. I just haven't been to sleep yet. I'm not that complicated."

She still didn't see herself ever going to Anakin for advice or help if her problems did affect her sleep, but random bitching? That she could do, and do well.

[sith_happened]

"I've met Ben," Anakin said with a tight little smile. "I don't want an entire generation of insomniacs. And Angel didn't seem to sleep much at all."

[solo_sword]

"Sleeping's not a problem here," she assured him. Besides, there were things called trances she could abuse and feel much better after. "I think once I get out of here I'll probably be doing so until my phone goes off again."

[sith_happened]

"How long has he been out of contact?" Anakin asked.

[solo_sword]

Thirty-three days. Not that she was saying she was counting days, but. "About a month. He's on a mission, left right after he came to visit last time.

[sith_happened]

"And how fast is time running for him now?" Anakin replied.

[solo_sword]

"Still a month per Fandom day. It's a lengthy one." To be perfectly honest, the month per day thing was a lot easier to deal with after having gone up and back between there and Fandom. It was just the fact that he was supposed to be back over a week ago that was getting her this bad.

[sith_happened]

Anakin did the math in his head and frowned. "He wasn't expecting to be out of contact this long?" he guessed.

[solo_sword]

Jaina shrugged. "Sometimes missions take longer than you think. I know I've had it happen. I'm sure he'll be in touch when he can."

Frankly, she was downplaying on purpose because she was worried she'd only end up giving Anakin one more thing to hold over John's head. Also, because repression made her feel like it wasn't that big a deal, at least for a while.

[sith_happened]

"But you're still worried," Anakin pointed out.

[solo_sword]

"Do you worry about me when I go off on missions?" she countered. "Worrying comes with the territory. I knew it was going to be like this." Just not for this long.

[sith_happened]

"Of course I do," he said. "But I know what they send Jedi into. I don't know where John went."