IT'S ALLIIIIIIIIIIIIVEEEEEE

[icanfix]

[Rey holds her breath as she sets the last piece in place. This is it. This is the moment that will determine whether AD7 lives or is scrapped. A part of her doesn't want to do it. If she doesn't do it, she'll always have the hope that AD7 will live; she'll never have to face a reality where she doesn't. But at the same time, she has to know.

A few clicks, a few whirls — and then the droid speaks. WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY PHASE INVERTER?!?!?! (or something like that — binary is difficult to translate into standard.)]

She works. SHE WORKS!

[Rey screams and jumps to her feet and dances like a maniac, feeling a rush of euphoria rivaled only by the first time she piloted the Millennium Falcon. Life is wonderful! Life is amazing! Life is grand!

And AD7 is still not impressed.]

Comments

[beensolo]

[You know who is impressed? The stealthy knight-come-fugitive who decided to see what all of the joyous screaming was about and is now observing Rey and the bot, head tilted as if a skewed view will help him understand her better. He's not, however, impressed by her technical prowess so much as her obvious delight. Who knew that people could still feel that kind of happiness and accomplishment? It's...

Endearing?

No. Definitely not. Even if Rey is who he thinks she is, he can't let words like endearing get used in reference to her. She's still irritatingly set on despising him.

Amused (but definitely not as amused as this icon would indicate), he decides to show her that he cared enough about her project to remember things about it. That's a person thing to do, right? That's how we show interest?]

What did you do to AD7's phase converter?

[icanfix]

I had to —

[At the sound of Kylo's voice, she yelps and whirls around.]

I ... had to cobble one together using two secondary phase couplings and an old flask... [She answers AD7's question first because it would be rude not to. Then, to Kylo —] What are you doing here?

[After a moment, another thought hits her.]

Wait, you speak binary?

[beensolo]

[If you were attuned to the force, Rey, he wouldn't have been able to sneak up on you like that! (Not that he was trying. He can be remarkably quiet when he's not stomping around imperiously.)]

It's a small ship. There are only so many places to be.

[He's genuinely baffled by her surprise. Does she think he only knows dark side things?]

Yes. So do you.

[icanfix]

[Well...yes. She is constantly surprised by the things he knows that don't involve being pure evil.]

I didn't think that was the kind of thing you learned in the First Order. Finn didn't know how to speak it.

[beensolo]

I had a life before the First Order.

[icanfix]

Really? [I mean yes on one level she realizes that. But on another, she just can't imagine it.]

[beensolo]

Yes, really. [He gets where she's coming from; she still can't believe that there's a person beyond the Kylo Ren persona. It's frustrating.] I grew up with astromechs. Did you see R2D2 on D'Qar?

[icanfix]

Yes, brief--

[WAIT YOU MEAN THAT LAZYBOARD DROID FINALLY WOKE UP FROM HIS TEMPER TANTRUM?!?! AD7 shouted. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!]

No, he wasn't awake, he was just —

[Rey winced as AD7 went off on a loud, rambling rant about R2D2 and his "temper tantrum". Had she misconfigured one of the settings, or was constant shouting part of AD7's personality?]

[beensolo]

[He arches an eyebrow at the astromech's response, amused.]

Congratulations, Rey. Your droid is as opinionated as you are. [But the amusement doesn't last. Brace yourself, Rey, because he's going to express something that looks a lot like concern.] Why is Artoo sleeping? Is it because of my uncle's disappearance?

[icanfix]

[Rey makes a face at him, forgetting for one brief second that she hates him too much to make stupid annoyed faces at.

She squawks as AD7 thrusts herself between them and takes the initiative to answer Kylo's question, going into a long-winded explanation about how R2D2 powered himself down after Luke disappeared and how that behavior is completely inappropriate in a droid, but no doubt he picked that kind of behavior up from Luke Skywalker, she really doesn't understand how he became a galactic hero with that kind of attitude.

Rey is appalled at AD7's very loudly stated opinions ... but there's a thread of train-wreck-watching-delight in it as well.]

[beensolo]

[That's sweet. Rey's levels of loathing have dipped to a level where she can forget that he's her least favorite person.]

At last, someone who shares my opinion of Skywalker. [He's so amused. It's a good thing he didn't smash AD7.] It's a shame about Artoo. That droid was one of my better friends.

[icanfix]

You and Artoo were friends? [She can't imagine him having friends, much less one as famous as R2D2. (It's hard enough recognizing the fact that he's related by blood to three galactic heroes).]