phoenixleader | EMP Inbox

[He musters a smile at her ready agreement. Kanan would have asked why. Rex would have probably said something about how he shouldn't skip out on things just because he didn't feel like it. And the others...

Well, he could count on being teased at least a little, especially if he didn't explain.

But Hera's always been the best at understanding him. Maybe not perfect, but when it counts, she knows when something's bothering him. It makes him feel better about broaching this subject, one that's always been a little taboo.]

Then... can we just go and do something fun? For my... for my birthday?

[The word falls off his tongue awkwardly. How long has it been since he was even willing to refer to this day as anything other than Empire Day, or as anything remotely positive?]

It could just be something small. No one's celebrating anything, so I don't want to stand out.

[The fact that no one's celebrating, that it's not Empire Day here, is the only reason why he's bringing this up. He's never been able to separate his birthday from that day before, but here, he absolutely can.]

Well, not sure that we can find what we usually call fun [ Like busting bucketheads and running from the Empire] but... I think we can manage.

[ She doesn't want to make a fuss about the fact he's saying it's for his birthday. That he actually wants to celebrate. And that's a good thing- that he's letting go of the shadows around things he couldn't control. All the same, she should go ahead and give him that package. And they can talk. ]

You know, I think I might have heard something about airship races happening today.

[That manages to earn an honest grin from him.]

Too bad. I could use a few new buckets to restart my collection.

[Why doesn't anyone here seem to wear protective headgear?

The boost in his mood helps with his appetite, though, and in between comments, he takes a few bites with the goal to finish off his food.]

Really? [He perks up, then can't help another grin.] And you're not racing in them?

[ She waves her hand slightly, her lekku bouncing to show that she's obviously happy. ]

They're too slow. A 'race' between these airships is going to take half the day. But it'll still be kind of fun to see the tech at work- and how to improve it.

[ After all, they still had their project. The idea of making a real speeder, or a real ship able to move faster through the air. Would make running deliveries between here and the surface a lot easier... ]

... Though, if I could race, I'd need a copilot.

Maybe we could show up for the last bit of it, then.

[He's all for watching races, but something that slow sounds boring.

Though if he was at all near the pilot's seat, that would be an entirely different story. Ezra lights up at the hint she just dropped.

Wait, no, gotta play this right.]

A copilot, huh? You'd need someone who's used to the way you work. Would help if they knew what kind of technology you were used to, too, so they could help to think up ways to make the tech here match.

Now where could I find someone like that?

[ She chuckles softly, then taps her chin, almost playing with him. Purposely being coy. In her timeline, she still admittedly had Kanan as her copilot. Sabine next. After the fiasco with the first Phantom, well... She wasn't always so ready to trust Ezra behind the Ghost.

But this is a different time. A different Ezra. And whatever ship they found certainly wouldn't be the Ghost or the Phantom. ]

I mean, I do know a smuggler who seemed to know his way around a ship, even if he did have an ego the size of Geonosis...

[Ezra wrinkles his nose. He's being baited and he knows it, but you know what? It's fun playing along.]

What? No way! You can't tell me you'd consider someone like that! What does a smuggler even know that I don't know better? I mean, about your ships.

Well, he does fly a Corellian model...

[ She's teasing him, of course. She'd never let some two-bit smuggler touch her ship. Any ship. Her crew was her family- and Ezra? Ezra would be her copilot. ]

But I'm joking, of course. Hey, if you're done eating, can you clear the table? I need to go get something.

[ After all, if he's going to be her copilot in this world, he might as well look the part. ]

[Some kids might be used to being catered to on their birthdays. Some kids might expect to get out of chores. Some kids might feel entitled to taking liberties with responsibilities. Ezra? Well, maybe he takes a few liberties himself sometimes, but when he does, it's just because he can be a little irresponsible, or sometimes just because he's distracted. In this case, though, it doesn't even cross his mind to protest. He hasn't had a background of special birthday treatment for years, and it's not like it's a big request.

And besides, she totally just gave in on the copilot teasing.]

Alright, I'll be here when you're done.

[He stands up and starts collecting their plates.]

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