(closed mostly) claim the truth that gets lost

[functusofficio]

WHO: Skywalker Clan, their plus ones/ honorary members and a roommate if he wants to join in.
WHERE: Padme (and now Anakin's) house. (Also Major's.)
WHEN: Lifemas Dayish??
WHAT: Padme and Luke successfully guilt tripped or swindled everyone into coming for Life Day and behaving. ..... It might go okay.
WARNINGS: Look, it's Skywalkers. If anything super specific comes up I'll edit, but uh. Trauma, war, etc. All very possible.

[ Padme had been nervous about this for days, in a way that meant she better appreciated how much Kylo had been nervous about Thanksgiving. A few of them together at one place had been manageable, the few times she's managed.

Everyone together, now that the family was -- well, so very assorted and colorful -- that was something else entirely. But Luke had been determined, and she had been determined, and while a certain amount of cajoling and a little bit of guilt tripping had been involved, everyone had agreed.

So she'd worked with Luke and with Anakin to set up the house to make sure that the spaces were separate enough that people could easily walk into another room and be out of sight. The kitchen, the dining room and the living room were separated by temporary door hangings, and the dinner table was set up to be a pot luck style of meal rather than a formal sit down, to make it easier to mingle and take food and then move somewhere else if needed. Anyone was welcome to bring something, but there was sufficient food otherwise for the small group that had been invited.

If she was entirely nervous about how well this would go, she hid it as well as she could. So everything is set up, there's a fair amount of appetizers and some main dishes out on the table when people start arriving, candles are lit - everything is ready. All they're waiting on are the guests. ]

Comments

padme is here yo

[functusofficio]

[ She's been experimenting with the fashion around here, and nothing from home seems appropriate to this moment, as strange as that seems, so her dress is elegant as always but more open than she tends to be around people who are strangers.

She's friendly towards all, but she gravitates towards Anakin regularly, her smile always genuine when she's near him and more relaxed than it is when she's in the middle of potentially awkward meet ups.

And there are definitely several bottles of wine out, and she's definitely taking advantage of it. ]

HI GRANDMA

[photophobic]

[He definitely had not realised he was supposed to dress up- he felt mildly ridiculous, but not ever having had much of a sense of what was and wasn't appropriate when it came to clothing, he didn't really have enough of a sense of how formal or not his clothing was.

He cleared his throat and approached with a slightly awkward smile.]

Thank you. For inviting me. I brought you something.

[He held out a small gift-bag.]

You don't have to open it now. If you don't want.

kylooo

[functusofficio]

[ He wasn't supposed to be dressed up, honestly -- just look at Luke and back at Padme and remember that parts of the Skywalker family are just Incorrigibly Fashionable and others.... aren't.

Her smile back at him is open and warm, pleased to see him, and she accepts the gift bag easily, rests her hand on his for a moment. ]

Goodness, that was so very thoughtful of you. You didn't have to, but I appreciate it.

[ A pause, and then she gestures at the table. ]

I'd rather open it now, if that's all right with you?

[faithfulson]

[ In contrast to his mother, Luke's look was entirely casual. Almost too casual really, and if one didn't know any better, they'd probably swear he went out to find the ugliest blue sweater he possibly could for the occasion. But no, Luke would never do that... he just genuinely liked it. So there. ]

[ While Padme plays host (and probably was the mastermind behind the ideal wine placement), Luke is preoccupied with the food. Rather than cater, he decided they should do the cooking themselves, which... turned out to be an adventure in and of itself. They had done the majority of it together, but once people started showing up, Luke took over by himself. Thankfully there wasn't much left to do at that point, and he was slowly working on bringing dishes out in preparation for when they would eat. ]

[ He is still spending a fair chunk of his time in the kitchen, though, which makes it the prime place to come and poke him. ]

[photophobic]

[He knew Luke hadn't been certain if he would show up, so once he had settled in and made sure he knew where everything was, he made a point to seek him out.

Thankfully, he had no idea whether or not the sweater was hideous or the height of fashion, and it wasn't why he was here anyway. He looms in the doorway for a moment before offering a greeting.]

Uncle Luke.

[Why not. Luke seems to enjoy it.]

You seem busy. Perhaps I should come back later.

[faithfulson]

[ Luke definitely enjoyed Kylo calling him uncle. The suns on Tatooine had nothing on how much his face lit up when he looked toward him. ]

It's fine, Kylo. I'm just finishing this up.

[ He ducked down to pull... some kind of meat out of the oven. He's pretty sure the butcher called it "ham", but he's not sure what kind of creature it was supposed to have been from. At this point, Luke decided that asking was probably a bad idea. ]

How have you been?

[carbonfrozen]

[Guess who's drifting into the kitchen to steal food? Go on. Guess.

Yep, it's Han. He's very quietly sneaking in here, and he's pretty sure Luke won't notice if he just, y'know, slides into the kitchen and steals one of the fresher appetizers for himself. Actually, make that two appetizers.]

[faithfulson]

[ Han... Han. Did you really think a Jedi, even a half trained one, wouldn't notice you? ]

[ A spatula suddenly rises itself in the air while Luke's too preoccupied with a pot, floating up stealthily behind Han... and swatting him on the back of the head. ]

[functusofficio]

[ She almost laughed when she saw the sweater, but it's just terribly like him and it's so good to have him back on the ground and with them again, and so in the kitchen before the start of the party she's stirring gravy on the stove with one hand, her other hand holding a recipe she's reading out loud to him as he works. ]

So two teaspoons of cinnamon, next. You know, I was researching cinnamon because I couldn't figure out what it was and it's bark? Did you know that.

[ Cooking Adventures with Luke and Padme. ] It's apparently vital to apple pie recipes though.

[faithfulson]

[ Cooking adventures indeed; and Padmé wasn’t the only one multitasking either, though what Luke was doing was probably considered at least cheating and at worse abuse of power. Using the Force to keep the hand mixer he had been using held up and still going couldn’t have been too much of a ding on his conscience — besides, the cinnamon container was proving to be a pest to open. He let out a triumphant noise when he finally succeeded, measuring out the required amount, before grabbing the mixer again. ]

I had no idea. It’s amazing how much the humans here have managed to get out of a single planet.

[therewillbeorder]

[Hux had a bad feeling about this but Ren had invited him to come and with Anakin's acceptance he didn't feel as if he should refuse the invitation.

To be polite he had brought a nice bottle of wine, it appears it was a social custom and he had a feeling that this evening would require a lot of drinking. He dressed nicely for the occasion and would be on his best behavior.

He would make sure his wine glass was full the entire night, staying within earshot of Ren whenever he left his side. He knew this evening would be difficult for him and so he stayed nearby, just in case.

With any luck, this wouldn't be a complete disaster.]

[photophobic]

[He was oddly grateful that Hux had been open to the idea of accompanying him here- a small dinner on his own territory had been one thing, but to willingly spend the evening with the Skywalker clan was something else entirely. He shot him a secret smile as he returned from the kitchen with some food for the two of them to share.]

Well. So far, neither of us have murdered any of my family.

I assume.

[therewillbeorder]

I've managed to resist.

[He was used to having to adapt and make the best of many situations but this was something entirely new for him. He gave Ren a small quick smile in return, reaching out to pick up something from the plate. After several glasses of wine eating something seemed like a good idea.]

I haven't heard lightsabers or anything like that, I assume it's going well.

[articulations]

[ Like Padme, Leia had chosen a gown for the evening, one of a dark navy blue (1, 2). As always, being here in this galaxy, she kept her thick hair in a single braid to hang down over her shoulder with a braid crown atop her head, a silver ribbon woven in the top braid. She had come alone, unaware that Han had been extended an invite; Leia had kept any contact with him after the incident to very little, refusing to see him, other than the Christmas Eve celebration at Poe's and Beth's. After what she'd done, she still needed time. Accepting the invite, knowing who else would be there, this was bad enough. But Leia was trying.

Upon arriving, she'd passed off a bottle of what they called a white moscato, a gift for her mother. She'd clearly done a lot in making sure the place was nicely done up for this family gathering, wanting the best for her children and everyone.

For most of the evening, Leia kept to herself. She either sat off to the side with a glass of wine and observed everyone else, or she was pretending to be occupied with her communicator, not really one for small talk. Perhaps even uncomfortable in being in the same room as some of the others, such as Kylo and Hux, even Luke and Han. Anyone Force sensitive would be able to tell the state she was in, though she was too good at keeping a neutral expression in place, not letting her thoughts and emotions to show.

How odd was it, however, that, for once, she found some comfort in sitting in Anakin's presence. ]

[photophobic]

[He hadn't decided what he was going to do when he saw his mother. Not having seen her since the incident at her home, and having been unable to face responding to her questions, he assumed she would prefer not seeing him at all, and so had made no effort to seek her out.

So when he caught sight of her and accidentally made eye-contact, he was once again frozen to the spot and unsure of what to do. This power she had over him... it was terrifying. It wasn't quite the same naked fear in his eyes as she had seen just before he pushed her into unconsciousness- he'd managed to convince himself that there was no way she had deliberately tried to kill him. But the look on his face was very similar to the mildly distressed shock she'd seen the first time they'd met, at the grocery store.

He glanced around, hoping someone would intervene- but it was useless. His eyes were drawn back to her face again.]

...Mother. You look... much better.

[faithfulson]

[ Once he delivered the last of the food for their Life Day meal to the dining table, Luke went right for Leia. He smiled softly when he saw her, and he couldn't help but think she looked so much like their mom. He hung back a moment, a swell of happiness creeping up in his chest, before he approached her. ]

[ He reached out for her first, gently touching her shoulder. ]

Hey.

HELLO DAUGHTER

[functusofficio]

[ She gave her daughter a few minutes to cool down after the confrontation with Kylo and Hux before following her, a second glass of wine in her hand that she holds to Leia wordlessly.

A peace offering would be the wrong term for it, but it is an indication that she's not entirely here to scold. ]

Here for all your Ragenugget needs

[photophobic]

[He really wasn't sure this was a good idea, but he knew how important family was to his grandfather, and he was slowly coming to terms with the idea that somehow, despite everything, these younger copies of his family here also wanted to know him.
It seemed inevitable (to him at least) that they would eventually decide he was beyond help, but for now... well. He justified it to himself with a series of complicated feats of mental gymnastics that he was almost certain didn't quite qualify as lies, and he didn't care to investigate them too thoroughly.

He was dressed in a relatively normal outfit- he'd even ventured out of black and into navy blue, and he was attempting, at least, to look non-threatening.

Most of the evening he would be found sticking close to Hux to avoid getting caught in awkward conversation, but it wasn't impossible to catch him alone- perhaps as he ventured out to get a drink or sample the food.]

Anakin is here (and late) yo yo yo~

[prophesiedone]

[He will always be harder to approach (when compared to his lovely wife), but Anakin is around and dressed for the event. He smiles to the best of his ability - and it does warm his features - yet there will probably always be something a little off about him. That tends to happen when you become a Sith.

Approach at your own risk and you will likely receive a warmer welcome than you could imagine. He is very happy to see his family gathered together and he wants to memorize this day.

With a glass of wine in his mechanical hand, he makes his rounds, sipping on it idly.]

[faithfulson]

[ Anakin has to know the moment Luke sees him, he’s making a beeline for him. Look out, father: incoming hug. ]

he looks so handsome

[functusofficio]

[ She's mingling a fair amount, trying to ensure everyone is comfortable and nobody is getting into any fights, but whenever she isn't she's back at his side, her hand in his as she sips her wine and keeps an eye on others, occasionally leaning closer to him to murmur an observation to him.

It feels good, to be like this. ]

I'm honestly surprised it's staying this smooth so far.

[therewillbeorder]

[Hux is most likely in the minority who finds it easier to approach Anakin rather than Padme. He was still confused as to why Anakin had been so concerned for him but Ren had managed to explain some of that to him.

Ren had gone off to get food for them, promising Hux that he would find vegetables instead of another piece of pie so Hux took that as a cue to slip away, running into Anakin in the other room. He gave a respectful nod to Anakin in greeting, still formal out of habit.]

I wanted to thank you for inviting Ren and me. This has been such a lovely evening.

[Though more awkward than anything but that would remain unsaid.]

[carbonfrozen]

[Han would've liked to stay home and sleep his way through this—one party was enough for him, and he didn't like the prospect of having to be in the same room as the younger version of Darth Vader for very long, but. Hell. Padmé had asked, and he couldn't imagine Luke passing this up, so in the interests of keeping very close to Luke and Leia, Han came to the dinner with fried chicken he absolutely bought on the way here.

Listen, KFC is finger-lickin' good, and Han won't hear a word against it.

Anyway, Han's in the ugliest Christmas sweater he could find, a monstrosity with a beer-bearing snowman on it, and for the most part he can be found hovering near the kitchen quickly stealing what food he can get his filthy little mittens on, as well as the table munching on the appetizers. He steadfastly avoids Vader and anyone else he might recognize as an Imperial, his fingers twitching near an empty space on his belt, but otherwise he's perfectly sociable and for once isn't causing a scene.

It's a Lifemas Day miracle.]

[functusofficio]

[ She's genuinely deeply amused by him bringing fast food chicken, but it also absolutely fits with what she knows of him in some respects, so she simply welcomes him in and smiles.

And is that a half hug that she gives him upon taking his hand? It is. ]

I'm so pleased you could make it, Han.

[articulations]

[ Han Solo isn't the only one who would've preferred to catch up on sleep and fight off a day long hangover that was being stubborn. After waking up at Poe's and finding herself draped over Han's chest with a bit of a damp spot soaking in his shirt— look, ladies, princesses sometimes drooled in their sleep, it wasn't just dudes— it was a disorienting stumble out.

The rest of that day, today, was spent in bed until it was near time to leave, sleeping the lingering effects off to show up as elegant as ever in her dark navy gown (1, 2). Yes, she looked tired, but it showed through the cracks of a calm attitude only so often. Like when she thought no one was looking.

Assuming this was to be a family event, seeing Han arrive with that bucket of delicious smelling chicken and that atrocious sweater (seriously, he and Luke had to have planned this), Leia was surprised and yet not to see him. Her immediate thought is to book it through the back entrance before he can see her—

Aw, geez.

Her glass was empty. The wine was by the kitchen. Damn.

There are two ways to do this: get a refill, or head the opposite way and leave before anyone could notice her missing.

Leia squares her shoulders, and... Yeeeap. She's moving in the form fitting dress towards him like she's gliding across the room. And all she can think about is the hazy conversation they'd had about him sleeping with her as they'd struggled up the stairs. ]