"My cabin is my old bedroom, so I have plenty of clothes, trust me," Leia responds wryly, concealing her complicated emotions about what it was like to walk into her royal bedroom on Aldera the first time without warning. A place she will never see again, unless she gets her deal.
"Point being, I'm used to having people in my employ, but I'm not used to them having no reason to listen to me."
"Do you one worse, they have plenty of reasons not to," he tells her, with a lopsided little smile. "But I can give you all the advice in the world, we ain't the same person. Something people here appreciate: don't pretend you are someone you are not."
"That one I think I can manage. I'm not eager to go back to that ever again."
Drinking her coffee, Leia thinks of what advice she does need. She's used to being part of a leadership team, not being the undisputed commander of any kind, which probably shows when she goes on, "I don't want to trip over anything you've already established, at least. Can you tell me a little about the way you've been running things?"
"Sure. I got a schedule up - some things we do daily, some things we do weekly, some things we do if maintenance can't keep up with all the work."
He makes a face and explains: "Sometimes things fall apart for some reason. We got a couple people who're happy to help out every day, other inmates come by a few times a week. I got a schedule for those too. If it's real bad or a slow day, I pick up the slack myself."
"I don't mind helping out, either, but I'll probably need someone to show me how it all works." By which she means cleaning. Leia would try to pass it off as unfamiliarity with this century's technology, but she's not actually embarrassed about being a princess.
"That's a relief," she says wryly, because the last thing she needs is interpersonal conflict with the other Warden assigned to the one job she can do. Keeping busy is Leia's primary coping strategy.
"And for your information, cleaning is mostly done by droids where I'm from -- everything's probably going to be as unfamiliar as the caf machine."
If he's going to practically give an open invitation to ask, Leia will ask -- she doesn't mind if someone decides not to answer, but she's generally personable, and she likes learning about other people.
That reminds her of Han. Leia knows very well that being involved in crime as a child doesn't mean you'd wanted to be, and she doesn't see any reason to ask prying questions about it.
"It'll be strange to stay in one place here for so long," Leia admits, tacitly agreeing. "I've been a fugitive for the past several years."
That gets a bitter smile out of her, staring into her coffee as she reflects on it. It's so far from anything she'd ever had to worry about, Leia is almost wistful to imagine such simplistic concerns. Domestic politics... ha.
"No, I've been staging a rebellion against a tyrannical empire. Princess is just a title now."
"Oh. That's what the rebellion is rebellin' against?"
That's a lot more than he'd actually given her credit for. But with her talk of servants and lack of knowledge about cleaning, he'd assumed it wasn't that serious.
"You're quite the interesting young woman, ain't you?"
Going from royalty to Senator to leader in a rebellion army had not given Leia a lot of time, at the age of twenty-five, to take on grunt work. Even in the Alliance, she was too busy coordinating and planning, and they were millions strong. She was far more in-demand as a member of leadership than as a regular crew member like she is here.
It's hard for her to conceive of someone not knowing about the rebellion, even now, but intellectually she knows most people here wouldn't have any kind of context for it.
Nonetheless, Leia gives him a mildly sarcastic look. "I'm not on the galaxy's most wanted list because I had a snit with an uncle, that's for sure."
"Well, even the 'galaxy' don't mean much of anything to me. I suppose it's a sensitive topic, but if you'd like to tell me I hear I'm easy to talk to," he says, with a little smile for her. She really is interesting, and Arthur doesn't like to talk about himself.
"Oh, it's not sensitive," Leia counters immediately, not bothering to offer an explanation for what a galaxy is. It seems like a pointless diversion.
"It's extremely public, and I've been recruiting people to the Alliance since I was a teenager. Don't hold back on my account." She really doesn't mind talking about it; life under the Empire is just a fact to Leia, the way things have always been. If her slow, growing realization throughout adolescence about the need for a revolution had been an internal journey, it's by now a conclusion she has set in stone inside her, unshakeable.
"No, I don't need the Admiral to win my wars for me." That would be such a hollow victory, when the Alliance has fought tooth and nail for every meter they've won. "The Empire is a cruel dictatorship propping up an evil man that exploits common people for his own power. I'm part of the Alliance to Restore the Republic -- what we want is a return to democracy and self-governance, and to diplomacy rather than conquest."
Leaning back in her chair, she cradles her mug and crosses her legs. This counts as normal tea time conversation for Leia. Obviously she's a biased source, but there's an easy confidence to her account that makes it clear she really has been recruiting people for years.
"What the Empire wants is for the whole galaxy to fall under their control specifically, and under humans more generally. Nothing is beyond them. Genocide, brainwashing, torture -- " Leia shakes her head. "That's just the start of their methods."
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"Point being, I'm used to having people in my employ, but I'm not used to them having no reason to listen to me."
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"Do you one worse, they have plenty of reasons not to," he tells her, with a lopsided little smile. "But I can give you all the advice in the world, we ain't the same person. Something people here appreciate: don't pretend you are someone you are not."
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Drinking her coffee, Leia thinks of what advice she does need. She's used to being part of a leadership team, not being the undisputed commander of any kind, which probably shows when she goes on, "I don't want to trip over anything you've already established, at least. Can you tell me a little about the way you've been running things?"
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"Sure. I got a schedule up - some things we do daily, some things we do weekly, some things we do if maintenance can't keep up with all the work."
He makes a face and explains: "Sometimes things fall apart for some reason. We got a couple people who're happy to help out every day, other inmates come by a few times a week. I got a schedule for those too. If it's real bad or a slow day, I pick up the slack myself."
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"Do you have a list of who doesn't show up, too?"
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He raises an eyebrow - sure, princess, but really?
Anyway: "I sure do. But it might need some updating."
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"I'd be happy to help with that, if you like."
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"I would like." He gives her a smile and sips his coffee.
"I think we'll work together just fine, once you figure out the complicated workings of the common mop."
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"And for your information, cleaning is mostly done by droids where I'm from -- everything's probably going to be as unfamiliar as the caf machine."
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"I spent the past few years camping out in the woods," he informs her. "Everything was unfamiliar to me. You'll be fine."
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If he's going to practically give an open invitation to ask, Leia will ask -- she doesn't mind if someone decides not to answer, but she's generally personable, and she likes learning about other people.
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He doesn't mind talking about this specific part of his life. In fact, he's found it's best to be open about these things.
"I rode with a group of bandits from a young age. Livin' like that, you don't always live a stable life. But I didn't mind that."
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"It'll be strange to stay in one place here for so long," Leia admits, tacitly agreeing. "I've been a fugitive for the past several years."
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"New king and queen take over?"
He doesn't mean it facetiously. He just assumes, since she's a princess, that they chased her out.
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"No, I've been staging a rebellion against a tyrannical empire. Princess is just a title now."
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"Oh. That's what the rebellion is rebellin' against?"
That's a lot more than he'd actually given her credit for. But with her talk of servants and lack of knowledge about cleaning, he'd assumed it wasn't that serious.
"You're quite the interesting young woman, ain't you?"
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It's hard for her to conceive of someone not knowing about the rebellion, even now, but intellectually she knows most people here wouldn't have any kind of context for it.
Nonetheless, Leia gives him a mildly sarcastic look. "I'm not on the galaxy's most wanted list because I had a snit with an uncle, that's for sure."
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"Well, even the 'galaxy' don't mean much of anything to me. I suppose it's a sensitive topic, but if you'd like to tell me I hear I'm easy to talk to," he says, with a little smile for her. She really is interesting, and Arthur doesn't like to talk about himself.
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"It's extremely public, and I've been recruiting people to the Alliance since I was a teenager. Don't hold back on my account." She really doesn't mind talking about it; life under the Empire is just a fact to Leia, the way things have always been. If her slow, growing realization throughout adolescence about the need for a revolution had been an internal journey, it's by now a conclusion she has set in stone inside her, unshakeable.
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"Can you give me the abridged version? What does either side want, what are you fighting for, and are you here to make sure you get it?"
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"No, I don't need the Admiral to win my wars for me." That would be such a hollow victory, when the Alliance has fought tooth and nail for every meter they've won. "The Empire is a cruel dictatorship propping up an evil man that exploits common people for his own power. I'm part of the Alliance to Restore the Republic -- what we want is a return to democracy and self-governance, and to diplomacy rather than conquest."
Leaning back in her chair, she cradles her mug and crosses her legs. This counts as normal tea time conversation for Leia. Obviously she's a biased source, but there's an easy confidence to her account that makes it clear she really has been recruiting people for years.
"What the Empire wants is for the whole galaxy to fall under their control specifically, and under humans more generally. Nothing is beyond them. Genocide, brainwashing, torture -- " Leia shakes her head. "That's just the start of their methods."
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"Jesus. It almost seems like something you'd read about." Or maybe see a movie about! Who knows.
"Can't imagine what it must be like to be in the middle of that."