Early July, 2000 Today For You Building

[bohemian_mark]

The lobby of the building is, as it always is, quite busy. Directly in front of the door is a staircase leading upstairs. If one were to look straight up, one could see all the way to the top of the stairwell, and possibly even the door to the Loft.

To the right is a bank of mailboxes, with a few cardboard boxes addressed to various people sitting underneath.

To the left are two doors, one to a front office, where a desk sits empty of people, but full of papers, and a computer. Behind that desk is a shut door with a sign on it: Mark Cohen, Vice President in Charge of Everything.

The second door, were it to be opened, leads to a row of offices with various names on the doors: Adam Hawking, Jon Larson, and Joanne Jefferson. On the last door, someone added a post-it: Ali too!

All in all, it is a scene of lovely Bohemian Chaos.

Comments

[empath-wiggin.livejournal.com]

All of a sudden, in the middle of the chaos, two figures appear, unseen by everyone. Sure this is Today For You, but there are things even these Bohemians might have trouble with.

Valentine looks around, blinking. "Wow. I haven't seen a building like this since I was really small."

[sonoftwosuns.livejournal.com]

"I don't think I've ever seen one like this." Luke looks at his wife, then at himself. "The Inn seems to have...rearranged our wardrobes so that we fit in a bit better.

He squints at the signs, mentally translating the Roman alphabet into Aurebesh. "So who should we surprise first? Mark? Or Adam, Jon, Joanne and Ali Too?"

The last sounds almost like Artoo.

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

"Wotcha!" A dark-haired man comes in from outside with a few round film cannisters in his arms. He pauses, and blinks. "Um. I don't think I've seen you both around here before."

And then it hits him. "Damn. Has anyone ever told you that you look like a young Mark Hammil?" Poor Jon.

Valentine just chuckles softly.

[sonoftwosuns.livejournal.com]

"Um...no, you haven't seen us before," Luke says politely. "We're visiting New York. Mark invited us. Rather insistently. This is my wife, Valentine, and I'm Luke. What's your name?"

He's really hoping to get away with not mentioning the name 'Skywalker'. He's fairly convinced that he won't.

"And yeah," he says wryly to the dark-haired man. "I get that a lot."

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

"Damn, your parents must be dorks. You look like Mark Hammill, and your name is Luke." Jon stares at them for a moment before he facepalms. "Crap. Where the hell are my manners? I'm Jon Larson, Mark's... well, other cameraman. Damned man does too much himself. Nice to meet you, Luke, and Valnetine." He pauses to grab one of the cardboard boxes, shifting the film canisters. "So how do you know Mark?"

[sonoftwosuns.livejournal.com]

Luke tries using the Force to help balance the cardboard boxes...and can't. It's not that the Force isn't there. It's more that it's just out of reach, and no matter how he tries, he can't touch it.

Which probably means that he'll be fine once he gets back to the Inn. Definitely when he returns to his own universe. It just feels odd. And a bit frustrating.

"We've known Mark for a while," he says. "Now we hang out at the a place called the Outside Inn, but we met for the first time at a weird little bar. He might have mentioned it. Milliways."

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

Val sends a bit of re-assurance toward Luke through their link, and also a thought: I don't think this world has the Force, Luke. It's alright. At the very least, the babies are fine.

Jon, on the other hand is blinking. "Wait. Your name's Luke, you're from that interdimentional space, -and- you look like.... Holy fuck, you're Luke Skywalker." The boy may be slow, but he is a geek.

[sonoftwosuns.livejournal.com]

Glad the kids are okay. Feels kind of weird not to have the Force around.

"Yeah." The slightly shy farmboy grin is there. "I get that reaction a lot too. And this is my wife, the former Valentine Wiggin."

He reaches out for the boxes...just in case Jon is about to drop them.

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

And because irony is high in the Building, Quin walks up from the basement at the exact moment Jon drops the boxes. "Hold on. Did you just say Valentine Wiggin?" The girl stares. "No fucking way. Valentine Wiggin is in the lobby?" That might be a squeal that this building has never heard before. "Oh my god, you don't know how much I've wanted to be like you since I was, hell, fourteen."

Jon stares at Quin. "Shit, I've never seen -that- out of her."

Valentine turns slightly pink. "Oh. Thanks. It really wasn't as interesting as people seem to think it was, but thanks."

[sonoftwosuns.livejournal.com]

Luke kneels down and starts picking up the boxes. "Which is a good thing, as 'interesting' is too often a synonym for 'in danger, about to die and wondering how we're going to get out of this one.'"

Which has happened entirely too often, he adds through the mental link.

"See, this is what I love about Mark and his friends," he says to Val, grinning. "They're fans of the greatest woman I know."

[empath-wiggin.livejournal.com]

It wasn't that bad, Luke. The biggest threat was Peter, and he knew he needed me.

"May you live in interesting times." Jon muses, sheepishly taking the boxes from Luke. "It's an old Chinese curse. Thanks."

Val facepalms. "You're biased, Luke. Seriously biased. Now, I didn't get your name."

Quin coughs, and finally finds her voice. "Oh, er, Quinn. Quinn Anderson."

[sonoftwosuns.livejournal.com]

I was thinking more about the time you were held hostage for several months and we didn't know about it. Some guilt accompanies this thought.

"Nice to meet you, Quinn," Luke says. "Val should have more fangirls." He looks at her with interest. "Who else should we meet?"

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

Wasn't your fault, Luke. It just happened. It's not going to happen again.

"Oh, Val needs all the fangirls she can get." Quinn's now beaming. "I wrote an entire paper on you when I was in school, analyzing your methods of..."

"Damn, Quinn. I didn't know you could fangirl." Jon cracks up. "Well, Luke..." He trails off. "That sounds so fucking wierd saying that. Anyway, you probably should see Adam, he's the manager around here, and Kyle, but watch out for the glitter, and Jill..."

"Who's busy, so go down there at your own risk." Quinn facepalms. "She kicked me out so she could get work done."

Val smiles. "So, in other words, we'll meet the crew."

"Pretty much."

[sonoftwosuns.livejournal.com]

"You wrote a paper on Val?" Luke is fascinated. "I hope your teacher appreciated it."

He turns to Jon. "So, who should we meet first? Kyle or Adam? Or At-Your-Own-Risk Jill?"

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

"She didn't." Quinn makes a face. "I was told that I shouldn't use science fiction in a serious political science class."

"I think you should go see Adam. He's busy." That might be an evil grin on Jon's face. "Too damn busy for our taste."

[sonoftwosuns.livejournal.com]

"Your teacher had no sense and no taste."

Luke pauses, noting the evil grin on Jon's face. It reminds him a lot of Han's grin. "What's Adam busy doing?"

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

Jon would fall over if he heard that analogy. And then he'd get up and fall over again. "Paperwork. It's all he does anymore." Jon sighs. "I think he's trying to get the rights to film somewhere or another. Whatever the hell it is, I'm sure he could use a break."

Quinn sighs. "I should be working on press releases."

Val raises an eybrow. "If I offered to help you, would you relax?"

"I, er.... holy crap. Um. I'd love it."

"Oh, god, we're going to hear about this for years."

[sonoftwosuns.livejournal.com]

"Yes, you are, Jon," says Luke with a grin. "Val, Quinn, do you want to see what happens with Adam, or do you want to go work on press releases?"

[empath-wiggin.livejournal.com]

"Nah. I want to see Adam's reaction." Quinn smirks, then smiles shyly at Val. "Um, that is if you don't mind."

"Oh, I don't mind. I have a feeling we're going to be here for a bit." Val smiles. "You'll have to tell me all about the political climate here. I'd love to hear what is going on."

Jon sighs. "Oh god. They'll be all night. Right, come this way." Packages, film canisters, and all, Jon leads everyone to Adam's office.

[sonoftwosuns.livejournal.com]

Luke studies the other man. He does indeed look busy. Almost harried.

"Hello," he says, wishing that he had a better opening line than that. "You must be Adam. I'm Luke, and this is Val. And Jon said we absolutely had to meet you."

[doesmarkscrap.livejournal.com]

"God, Jon. Why the hell do you keep bringing people..." He finally looks up. "Fuck. You really are who I think you are, aren't you?" Resignedly, Adam stands, shaking his head. "Well, hello, then. I'm, as Jon probably told you, Adam Hawking. I run things around here."

Jon smirks. "The things that Mark doesn't do."

"Which is most everything."

[sonoftwosuns.livejournal.com]

Well, he didn't mention the last name, but Luke isn't going to be particular about that.

"Nice to meet you," he says, holding out a hand for Adam to shake. "I'm...well, I guess you know me. And this is my wife, Valentine Wiggin-Skywalker."

He figures he's lucky. No one's asked any impossible questions yet.

"We're here on vacation," he explains to the crew. "Is there anything that you'd say we absolutely have to see, as long as we're in the universe?"

[doesmarkscrap.livejournal.com]

Adam shakes Luke's hand grinning, and Val's as well, when it is offered. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Luke. We're all fans. I mean that in the best way possible." He pauses, and blinks for a moment. "That is so perfect somehow. Valentine Wiggin and Luke Skywalker. I would have never thought of it, but it sounds perfect." Now there's a winning smile.

All three pause, then speak at once.

"The Empire State Building."

"The Twin Towers"

"Broadway."

It's all said jumbled together.

[sonoftwosuns.livejournal.com]

Luke is looking slightly panicky. "Which first? They're not all the same thing, are they?"

[empath-wiggin.livejournal.com]

Jon smiles, oddly. "No. They're not. The Empire State Building and the Twin Towers are tall buildings, but likely nothing like what's on Coruscant." Yes, he's that much of a geek. "Broadway is, well, it's one of the busiest places in the city, which is mostly a theatre district."

Val's eyes sparkle. "Oh, Luke, I've always wanted to go to a Broadway show. They... well, they're only history in my time."

[sonoftwosuns.livejournal.com]

"Okay. Um...what should we see?" He hasn't even considered how to pay for this yet.

[doesmarkscrap.livejournal.com]

Luke should eventually remember that Mark is a Skywalker, loaded, and a brother of Angel.

Quinn ponders for a moment. "Oh! There's one about ancient Egypt. I've been wanting to see it for ages, and I never have the time." She grins. "Aida. It's a remix of an old opera."

Adam snorts. "Sounds like something Jon would do."

"Shush."

[sonoftwosuns.livejournal.com]

He'll recall eventually. Right now he's just trying to think of how to do something that Val would like.

"Val. Would you like to see Aida?"

The next question is probably going to be, Do you want to see it with everybody?

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

"Sure." Valentine grins. She anticipates his question, however. "I think we should take everyone. Things're always much more fun when they're with people." And besides, there's something in Valentine that really likes to be back on Earth. Something that she'll never tell Luke.

Quinn beams. "I'll go drag Jill out of the basement."

Jon smirks. "I'll go raid the costume closet for clothes."

"Be careful of Kyle's wrath."

"Don't worry, Adam. As long as she gets to go, she'll be fine. Besides, she's your girlfriend."

"Not this week."

"Oh."

[sonoftwosuns.livejournal.com]

"Excellent!" Luke's face lights up at the prospect. Being Jedi Master and Head of the Council is good, but...well, there are times he just wants to kick back and relax with friends.

[empath-wiggin.livejournal.com]

The members of Today For You in the room are beaming as well.

For their own reasons, they all are ecstatic at this prospect.

Grinning, Jon leaves for the costume closet, Quinn disappears to the basement, and Adam upstairs to inform Mark of the plans.

Valentine just grins at Luke. "Oh, Luke. I love home, but sometimes it's just good to be somewhere else."