closed ☼ a short rest

[hopesparks]

Who: Anakin Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ezra Bridger, Padmé Amidala, Bail Organa, Luke Skywalker, Vyng Vang Zoombah, Usagi Tsukino.
What: A family dinner for Obi-Wan
When: June 7th
Where: The Kenobi-Skywalker-Bridger house in Cassandra

Content Warnings: Possible discussions of grief, genocide, war, and survivor's guilt.

Comments

arrival

[hopesparks]

[ Anakin put a lot of work into cleaning the house and setting up. He can be a bit of a perfectionist, especially when he's doing it for someone else, so he's still working on a few last-minute touches when people start to arrive. He'll answer the door and take any food the guests brought, so he can take it to the kitchen with the rest and heat it or cool it as needed. Anakin will flash them a smile and tell them there's refreshments in the living room before he moves purposefully back to the kitchen-dining area.

He doesn't look back to make sure said guest goes to the living room. However, if they choose to listen to him, they'll find pitchers of water, cold tea, and fresh juice along with glasses set out on tables in the living room. Of course, if they choose to go looking for a bathroom or seek out another guest or member of the household, Anakin will be none the wiser. ]

[ezra_of_lothal]

[Anakin had insisted that Ezra leave most of the prep to him, since the whole thing was Anakin's idea. So Ezra just...tries to stay busy with his usual daily tasks when Anakin shows up at the house to do set up, rather than hover or fidget. At some point he pokes his head into the kitchen, anyway, just to check Anakin couldn't use another pair of hands.

He ends up staring around at the variety of food. He's helped feed literal small armies before; everyone that could do, had to pitch in, sometimes, in Rebel Alliance bases. Still, he's far more used to the menu being one or two dishes in large quantities, and often including some sort of highly processed protein.]

Wow. You really went all out.

[hopesparks]

[ He'd thought variety would be the best way to go and fresh fruit was easiest to obtain. Plus, he knew the Paleboods that would appreciate it. Still, he feels a bit uncertain. ]

Too much?

OTA

[lightthedarkness]

[Usagi sipped her tea as she looked at all the people here and smiled, glad to know everyone was here for Obi-Wan. She recognized a lot of faces, there were also some she had no clue who they were. She knew she was in the middle of a whoooole bunch of Light Side Force users, to be sure. Usagi was currently eyeing all the food and made a noise trying to figure out where to start.]

It all looks so good... Wonder if I can take some home later... [She should seriously start bringing Tupperware to these things.] What would you start with?

[simplegestures]

[He finds that his gaze wanders as it is wont to do here. He likes to see what people have done. He has started out smaller for himself. A building that will suit his needs without extending his abilities. Anakin the younger does seem to have put a large effort into the evening. Obi-Wan has made an impression, no doubt.

He is unfamiliar with the blonde. It does not stop the smile by way of greeting.]

Unless he is planning to hold us hostage until it is all gone, I do not doubt he would be grateful for that.

[ezra_of_lothal]

Soup's the traditional first course in a lot of places, right? [He leans towards Usagi, just a little, and stage-whispers-]

Pretty much my sum total knowledge of fancy dinner parties.

[jedies]

[ he's not sure if he's completely up for this. he's hardly the life of the party and it is still a daily struggle to commit to the motions of life and living. but he must, he must, and this is a gesture of warmth. obi-wan doesn't feel so cold that he cannot respond in kind.

he must, he must. ]

This is quite the spread.

[simplegestures]

It is.

[As he comes up next to Obi-Wan. Not only in food though. No, there is a variety of people as well. Some Bail knows well, some he has a passing knowledge from here, and others he has not met at all.

He takes a sip from his drink. Eyes forward. Roaming over those present. Yet aware of Obi-Wan from the corner of his eyes.]

A better spread than some functions I have attended.

[faithfulson]

[ He had been told very specifically that bringing food wasn't going to be necessary. Anyone that knew Luke at all already knew how he was going to respond to that: bring all the food he could reasonably make. It was why his knock was accompanied by a faint cry for help as Luke shifted the weight of the food he was carrying: a noodle casserole dish, some fresh, generously seasoned vegetables, and a fruit pie for extra dessert. ]

[ ...he couldn't help himself, okay? ]

[ezra_of_lothal]

[Of course Ezra comes to the door; he sure isn't making Obi-wan do it, and Anakin has been pretty busy.

He takes in Luke trying to balance a stack of dishes with amusement and reaches for the top of the pile.]

Telekinesis on the fritz?

For Obi-wan

[ezra_of_lothal]

[After Anakin arrives to set up, but before the others arrive, Ezra tracks down Obi-wan. He'd told Anakin he thought this was probably a good idea but...now he's hoping he wasn't wrong.]

Look. [He plunges on through his frisson of nerves at raising this thought and getting this blunt, to try to catch Obi-wan's gaze.]

If this gets to be too much, at any point, for any reason, don't worry about upsetting people, ok? Just do what you need to do. Anakin and I will deal with apologies and wrapping things up.

[jedies]

[ he blinks, somewhat startled, before his expression turns wry. ]

Have I worried you all that much?

[simplegestures]

[It had been a cursory look around Cassandra that Bail had given. There had been many choices of where to reside and he had weighed them. Now he looks at the reside before him and knows that his own has a long way to go.

He had brought some dessert items. Not handmade thankfully. He knows better than to attempt anything like that. Arriving with Padmé, he lets Anakin take his own offering. Bail does pause, looking around, before entering deeper trailing after the young man.]

You can take a moment to breath. [Warmth in his voice.] Need you a hand with anything?

[hopesparks]

[ Anakin is already in the kitchen when Bail catches up to him.

He gives Bail a wry smile. ] Threepio would be upset with me if I made a guest do any work.

[ But, from what he knows of Bail, that's not something he'd worry about. ]

I'm almost done anyway.

dinner

[hopesparks]

[ The reason dinner isn't quite ready when everyone arrived becomes very apparent once they enter the dining room. Each seat has a plate, bowl, glass, and a set of cutlery. Some of it is mismatched, since Anakin brought some of his own and bought some extra to make sure everyone would have enough.

Speaking of enough, the table and sideboard are laden with food. Traditionally, food would be served in courses, but Anakin reasons that it's supposed to be a casual event. Someone bustling around doing the serving would be disruptive. Besides, who's he to stop someone if they want to start dinner with a slice of pie?

There's two types of cold soup-- strawberry and carrot ginger, roasted vegetables with fresh herbs, cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and seasoned minced vegetables, rice pilaf, and a potato casserole. The sideboard has various breads, at least two pies, and a small cake.

As for seating, Anakin didn't bother assigning seats. He really has decided to do exactly the opposite of what he had to put up with encountered at upper-crust dinner parties. ]

[ezra_of_lothal]

[Ezra waits until Obi-wan picks a spot and then...he doesn't pick one right next to the older man, because in theory he can sit down and eat with Obi-wan any day, right? Let someone else have some quality time with Obi-wan Kenobi.

He does sit down across and one over, so he can keep half an eye on Obi-wan's body language, and Obi-wan probably can catch his eye, if that out is needed.

But once everyone is around, and digging into food, Ezra relaxes a lot. More, in some ways, than he really has in Trench so far. He can feel the emotional warmth from everyone around him, and empath that he is, he soaks it up, and reflects it back even brighter, in turn.

This feels like home.]

after-party

[hopesparks]

[ The dinner isn't scheduled to be very long-- he knew Obi-Wan's energy would flag after awhile-- but there's still a little time to linger, maybe sip some tea or hot coffee.

Oh and, don't worry, guests will depart with leftovers. It's no longer May-- Anakin can't eat all of this himself. ]

after-party

[democratically]

It's been a very lovely evening, Anakin.

[Offering that smile as she finds him.]

[hopesparks]

[ He smiles back warmly. ]

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

OTA

[bardbarous]

Arrival

[ Tuck is Vyng's plus one. And while he hardly knows anyone at this dinner, he is not being left at home to wonder what he might be missing! He'll be here to make sure no one talks about him, and if they do he can hear it!

Actually, he's really here to see Anakin again. Get him back for the last prank that didn't even touch him! So, Anakin first, then food second. But if anyone asks why he's here, he'll say he wants to eat food first, then yell at Anakin.

Now his biggest problem is blending in with the rest of the very normal people arriving. At seven feet tall and as wide as a door, Tuck is not exactly the most subtle. If anyone looks his way for too long, makes eye contact, Tuck's cool bravado will melt away immediately. ]

I was invited!!

[ Hm, that wasn't very subtle was it? ]

Dinner

[ The second chair Tuck's been placed in for the dinner is holding on by a thread. He looks like a mountain of bread dough rising high out of its container, ready to burst free. With every movement he takes, it gives out a pitiful warning of its strain. Everyone can hear it. There's no other sound in this silent, awkward sit down dinner.

It's the perfect time to bring up the wrong conversation. ]

Soo, ah, where's Anakin? This is his house, too, right? Is he coming?

Dinner

[ezra_of_lothal]

[Ezra glances around quickly and hurries to answer.]

Anakin Skywalker, you mean. [He points to the younger Anakin.] That's Anakin Solo.

He...was specially invited. [He's just gonna dodge the question of where Anakin Skywalker is living, because he honestly can't tell from day to day. It's concerning and frustrating.]

I, um, don't think he likes hanging out in groups this big.

[bardbarous]

... He has someone named after him?

[ Tuck is SO DISGUSTED AND JEALOUS!! His fork stabs petulantly at his plate. ]

What the fuck, he doesn't want free food?

( dinner )

[jedies]

[ isn't this . . . the infamous tuck? interesting that he seems to know anakin. ]

This is his house, though I'm not sure if he's coming. Were you expecting him?

[bardbarous]

Uh! [ Ah shit, he came off way too strong. ] No, ah, noo... No, I didn't come all the way here for, for some guy. No.

[ When Obi-wan simply stares back at him with that unflappable expression of his, Tuck inevitably crumbles. ]

I thought Anakin would be here, yeah.

arrival

[democratically]

[He is rather hard to miss. Her husband is tall, at least compared to Padmé, but this man is taller still. He is unfamiliar, but that could mean any number of things. Someone Obi-Wan knows from the galaxy, or someone he has met here. What she doesn't expect is for him to suddenly blurt that out as she makes her way towards him to introduce herself.]

Uh. As was I. Hello. I'm Padmé.