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[neverjedi]

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[a rowdy bar in a galaxy far away]

[routemistress]

Iris is in-character as a sassy, if slightly past it, bar-girl approaching likely strangers for drinks, but someone who can read the pulses of things under their skin might see something very different. Only half her attention is on the bar patrons. Most of her is watching the door, and also watching the invisible cameras that surveil the bar. She positions herself carefully out of their lines of sight, puts bulkier patrons between herself and them, and camouflages her sharp alertness with random, sloppy affection.

She practically lands in Obi-Wan's lap, a light confection of soft feathers and perfume and smeared mascara, but she doesn't feel inconsequential or insubstantial. She's poised, strong and wiry and her eyes on his are grey, urgent and searching.

"Care to buy a lady a drink, sailor?" she asks, and murmurs under her breath.

"They'll be 'ere any minute. Tell 'em I was with you last night."

Re: [a rowdy bar in a galaxy far away]

[neverjedi]

Why, he wonders, do these things always happen to him? Is it the force? It's the force.

That it might be his own sense of adventure... all right, it might be that.

He catches her and pulls her further into his lap, arms wrapped around and immediately nibbling at her ear.

"I think I'd buy you anything you like if it keeps you in my lap." He's calm and steady when he looks at her, though and in spite a total lack of training seems to manage to feel reassuring to anyone with the ability to fill it. "Especially if you do that thing from last night again."

Re: [a rowdy bar in a galaxy far away]

[routemistress]

Iris apparently picks up on his wordless communication, because she relaxes at once, and her attention shifts until it's focused entirely on him. She doesn't use the Force - or if she does, it's calibrated very differently to the way he uses it - but she definitely gives the impression of having seen deeper than most.

"I think that thing from tonight'll be even better, lovey. I personally can't wait. Oh, 'ere they come!"

"They" prove to be local law enforcement, and Iris clings to his neck as they get closer.

[neverjedi]

His eyeroll is probably palpable, but he wraps his arms around her and engages in what is a very enthusiastic make-out session with her, to deflect any attention from her and to provide a very literal physical shield to hide her from view.

"I want to know what they think you did," he murmurs, soft and directly into her ear.

[darkforcerising]

Pieces put back in the warn wooden box, box back in his backpack, and pack back on his back. He stood up.

"Good game... Do you want to see my ID before we go get a rootbeer?"

[neverjedi]

He looked somewhat chastised by the question, but he also looked a little pained and embarrassed, because....

"I don't, actually."

...Blame his day job.

[darkforcerising]

"There's a bar around the corner," he said, catching that a key stroke hit dissonant.

"I'll buy you an actual beer. They already know I drink rootbeer."

[neverjedi]

He nodded, slightly and put his hands in his pockets and started walking. "You don't actually look anywhere near that young, and I don't actually need a beer though I'll take it. I just can't not be careful with that sort of thing."

It was an apology, yes.

[darkforcerising]

“It’s fine,” Anakin said, letting his smile be easy.

“I’ll even stop committing crimes when I’m with you to make it easier on you tonight.”

[neverjedi]

"Oh, now that's a step entirely too far. What are we supposed to do for fun if you aren't committing crimes?"

Drinking rootbeer with a chess partner.

Anakin's life was clearly prone toward -

Actually he had no idea, but not criminal activity.

[darkforcerising]

“Oh,” Anakin said, reaching into his pocket for his phone. “I’ll text my dealer for...” He looked at Obi-Wan, affected dead serious. “What are you in the mood for?”

[neverjedi]

"Black forest cake and coffee." Yeah, he was clearly taking that really seriously. He put his hand on Anakin's back when they got to the bar, and pulled the door open with his other hand.

[darkforcerising]

Anakin nodded, typing (into the notes function of his phone) as he walked into the bar, "Pervitin and heroin. Be here in a half an hour. Strap in for a roller coaster evening with those highs and lows."

[neverjedi]

He grimaced, though it was playful. "No, thank you. I like my heart beating. I think I'll stick with highballs rather than speed-balls." And in this case, he was going to be the guy drinking coffee in a bar, because Anakin was drinking rootbeer and this was all very wholesome and adorable.

And somewhat interesting just for that, strange trips over demanding ID and all.

[darkforcerising]

Wholesome and adorable - Anakin would find that amusing.

"Are you a traditionalist, whiskey-only person or do you accept the modern trends of using other liquors?" Just because he didn't drink now, that didn't mean he didn't know his alcohol.

They reached the bar. "Nikki," Anakin caught the bartender's attention. "Rootbeer and..." He turned to Obi-Wan to give his order.

[neverjedi]

"I accept modern trends, I prefer whiskey and-" To Nikki, with a really warm smile, "I'm having coffee. We'll be the best behaved customers you have all day."

Knowing alcohol and avoiding it said something. That something could be one of several things, but they all meant that he wasn't going to drink in Anakin's presence, at least not at this point.

[darkforcerising]

"What?" Anakin said, his tone mocking, his expression shocked, but also mocking. "I have to behave also?"

The bartender rolled his eyes - used to Anakin by now - and went to get them their order.

"You like rules, don't you?"

[neverjedi]

He snorted with amusement, somehow making even that just a tiny bit elegant, when Anakin teased both him and the bartender.

He considered the question, fairly seriously. "I always like to know what the rules are. I usually follow them, but even when I don't I would vastly prefer it be a conscious decision."

A pause: "Close enough to a useful answer?"

[darkforcerising]

Nikki came back with their drinks. Anakin grabbed his and nodded towards a table. He was still too new at this half an arm thing to risk the high stools. It was little things like that, balance on a stool, that he'd never thought about before losing his arm. And now he had to think about them constantly.

"It was an answer. Anything you said would have been useful. When was the last time you broke a rule?" Was it j-walking, Obi-Wan? Amuse Anakin.

[neverjedi]

He took his coffee and followed Anakin toward a table, taking the seat across from him. He preferred the table, too, for a few reasons. One of those reasons was relative privacy.

"I asked you out." His tone is dry, but partially because he hadn't meant to.

[darkforcerising]

Anakin was not expecting that answer, but it still amused him.

"There's a story behind that one," he said. "I'm a rule that shouldn't be broken?"

[neverjedi]

"Overall, I prefer to only break people when my job requires it," he said, extremely dryly. "In my leisure time I'd much rather be broken."

Sorry, Anakin, it was right there and he couldn't resist.

"Asking people out is something I prefer to be a bit more aware that I'm doing. I can't say I regret it?" he offered, over the rim of his mug.

[darkforcerising]

"Are you saying I throw you off your game?" Anakin said, wiggling his eyebrows.

[neverjedi]

"Literally when you insist on playing the game at the speed of light." He rolled his eyes at Anakin.

Chess. He means chess.

"So, let's play another one: Tell me something about you that I don't already know?'

[darkforcerising]

“That is a legitimate way to play the game- and, I gave you a choice at the start.”

Anakin liked that game, he did not like this next one. He didn’t like talking about himself for various reasons, not the least of which were his are and why it was like that.

“Is this were I get to insert a joke about you being FBI and must already know everything about me?”