Beyond - Legends R.S.V.P. (Callista, Dankin)

Title: R.S.V.P.
Author: Tarsier
Timeframe: ~21ABY, Worth Fighting For timeline (essentially canon except Mara rejected Luke's proposal on Nirauan and Luke is now engaged to Callista)
Characters: Part 1: Luke, Callista, mention of Mara; Part 2: Dankin, Callista, Anakin, Ghent
Genre: Fluff/Mush
Summary: A bit of fluff surrounding Mara's R.S.V.P. to Luke and Callista's wedding.
Notes: This is a prequel to Worth Fighting For. There is a sequel to this story - I'll Save a Seat for You. I think of this story as occurring parallel to You Found Me on the Chasing Whisperkits timeline.

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Part 1

A stack of R.S.V.P.s for the wedding were arrayed in front of Luke. He stared at one with the “decline” box checked in particular, feeling simultaneously relieved and disappointed. He ran his fingers around the edges of the flimsy, his eyes coming to rest on the guest’s name: Mara Jade.

He’d always known Mara wouldn’t come, in fact he was somewhat surprised she’d even returned the R.S.V.P. Still, he was a little sad to know their lives were moving in vastly different directions and this might have been his last chance to see her.

“She means a lot to you, doesn’t she?” Callista’s voice startled Luke and he quickly reshuffled the flimsies before him, trying, and utterly failing, to look casual.

“It’s okay,” Callista said, giving a quirky smile at his reaction. “I know you’ve been through a lot together.”

Luke searched Callista’s face, looking for the meaning behind her words, for a hidden resentment or jealousy. He let out a relieved sigh when he couldn’t find any indication of deeper significance. He pondered, not for the first time, the irony of the fact that his fiancée was the hardest person in the galaxy for him to read.

“I told Leia I’d meet her to discuss flower arrangements this morning. Can you finish updating the guest list?” Callista continued smoothly.

“Sure,” Luke said, rising to give Callista a kiss before she left. “I’ll see you later.”

Once Callista was gone, Luke sat back down, trying to work through his feelings. Where did he and Mara stand? They had been so close, so connected, he was sure they were falling in love. And then she had rejected him. He’d been so confounded by the whole incident he’d given up on love entirely—until he found Callista again. Now Callista was his whole life. Where did that leave Mara?

Just another student? No, she was hardly a student at all, and wasn’t “just” anything.

A friend? No, from day one their relationship had been far more complicated than anything that could be defined by simple friendship.

She means a lot to you. That was about the best summary of his feelings Luke could think of. He smiled, reminded once again why he loved Callista so much. Luke may not be able to read Callista’s mind, but even without the Force, she could read his.

 

I always liked Callie. And I kept hoping that at some point in canon she would pop up again. Alive and not as some creepy Force creature.

Looking forward to Part 2.

 

Ceillean I've given up on the canon, so I was just amused at how silly it was when they brought her back (if you can even call it that). Thanks so much for commenting! Part 2 got a little weird, I hope you like it anyway.

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Part 2

A few days earlier . . .

Dankin walked along the streets of Coruscant, two sheets of flimsiplast tucked into his jacket. He was supposed to deposit the flimsies, Mara’s and Karrde’s R.S.V.P.s for the Skywalker wedding, with a delivery service. However, Dankin had noticed the “reply by” date was today and it would probably take a few days for the flimsies to make their way through the delivery system. Dankin knew exactly nothing about wedding etiquette, so he wasn’t certain if Mara and Karrde intended to be “fashionably late” (a term he’d heard on the Holonet but could only guess at the meaning of) or if they simply hadn’t gotten around to sending their replies until the last minute.

Dankin pulled the flimsies out of his pocket as he entered the delivery building and his eyes passed over the address. Luke Skywalker didn’t live very far away, Dankin figured could easily deliver the replies himself. He was in no hurry to return to the Wild Karrde—he had nothing but hours of data analysis waiting for him there. Besides, it might be fun, he didn’t often have an excuse to see how the other half lived.

Deciding, Dankin tucked the flimsies into his jacket and ducked back into the crowded street. He rather doubted he would make it all the way to Skywalker’s apartment, but he wanted to see how far he could get.

Several minutes later, Dankin found himself on the main floor of Skywalker’s apartment building.

“What’s your business here?” the security guard asked him.

“I have a delivery for Luke Skywalker,” Dankin replied, thinking this was probably the end of the line, he would hand over the flimsies to the guard and be on his way.

“One minute,” the guard said to him, then pushed a button on the desk before him.

“Yes?” a female voice filtered through a hidden speaker.

“Good evening, Miss Callista. I have a man here that says he has a delivery for you. It’s . . .” the guard gestured at Dankin, and he presented the flimsies. “It looks like replies for your wedding.”

“Oh, good,” Callista’s voice replied eagerly. “Send him up.”

“Go ahead,” the guard said, directing Dankin to the turbolift.

A quick turbolift ride followed by a walk down a thickly carpeted hallway and Dankin was standing outside the door to Skywalker’s apartment. He was suddenly very aware of the fact that he hadn’t bathed or even changed his clothes since assisting Pormfil with an engine upgrade earlier in the day. Even without the dirt and grime, Dankin’s torn and faded clothes were hardly befitting of even a delivery boy for the posh apartment he now stood outside of. Feeling anxious and utterly out of place, Dankin was about to slip the flimsies under the door and leave before Luke saw him, when the door swung open.

Dankin took a startled step back, expecting to see the great Jedi Master Luke Skywalker in full Jedi regalia looking down at the street rat who found it necessary to disturb him at his home. But in fact it wasn’t Luke Skywalker at all, but his fiancée Callista. And what she was wearing wasn’t exactly regalia. Instead, her outfit look a lot like Dankin’s—old worn-out work clothes, though hers were covered with light green paint rather than engine grease.

Dankin quickly handed Callista the R.S.VP.s. “Thank you.” She smiled. “Not many of these have been hand delivered.”

Dankin felt his cheeks flush. “I was already in the neighborhood. Thought I’d stop by. I’ll leave you alone now,” he stammered and turned to leave, wondering why he’d thought this was a good idea.

“Wait,” Callista said, reaching out and placing her hand on his arm. “Do you think you could help me with something for just a minute?”

“. . . Okay,” Dankin replied a bit hesitantly and followed Callista into the apartment.

“Anakin was supposed to come over, but he’s not here yet and I really want to finish painting before Luke gets back later tonight,” Callista explained as she placed the flimsies on the dining room table and led the way to a spare room. The room was mostly empty except for several large drop cloths covering the floor, two cans of paint, a set of paint brushes, and a large ornate piece of furniture set against one wall. Three of the four walls were covered with fresh paint, the remaining wall being largely blocked by the piece of furniture.

“I need to move this so I can paint behind it,” Callista said, pointing at the large piece of furniture. “It was given to Luke’s sister by an ambassador from . . . somewhere. Luke wasn’t real clear on the details of where it came from. But he was very clear on what Leia was going to do to him if it got damaged. Think you can help?” Callista asked.

“Sure.” Dankin walked to the far side of the piece of furniture and searched for handholds. Callista got a grip on her side of the furniture and together they moved it to the center of the room.

“Thanks, you’re a lifesaver—I’m sorry, I never got your name.”

“Dankin.”

“Thank you, Dankin. Sorry to have kept you.”

Dankin spotted a paintbrush out of the corner of his eye and for a moment thought about how jealous Ghent would be if Dankin told him he’d actually painted Luke Skywalker’s apartment. On a whim, Dankin picked up the brush. “You said you were in a hurry to get done, right? It won’t take long to finish with two of us working on it.”

Callista smiled brightly. “That would be great. If you don’t have anywhere else to be.”

Dankin thought about the pile of datacards waiting for him on the Wild Karrde. “I can spare a few minutes.”

As they each began painting a section of wall Callista asked, “So are you like Karrde’s right-hand man?”

Dankin had been wondering if she had noticed the names on the R.S.V.P.s he’d given her. Apparently she had. “You could say that. I’m a pilot, but I keep pretty busy even when were not flying.”

“Hmm,” Callista replied, “I wouldn’t have pegged you as a flyboy.”

“Oh, I don’t fly starfighters. I prefer real ships.” Callista caught a glint in Dankin’s eye when he said this.

“Good thing my fiancé isn’t here. Those sound a lot like fighting words to some people.”

Dankin grinned. “And are you one of those people?”

“Let’s just say I have a complicated relationship with all starships.”

Callista and Dankin continued to chat as they worked and the wall was soon finished. Dankin was washing the paint off his hands as Callista sealed the leftover paint when the front door opened.

“Hello? Aunt Callista, are you here?” a voice called.

“I’m here, in the guestroom,” Callista called back.

Anakin Solo, who Dankin recognized from the Holonet, entered the room carrying a large box. “Sorry I’m late. My mom sent these over,” Anakin said, setting the box on the floor.

Callista finished sealing the paint and knelt beside the box to sort through the contents. “This is . . . subtle.” Callista pulled out a pile of baby clothes and small toys as she dug towards the bottom of the box.

“I’m just the messenger,” Anakin said, raising his hands defensively.

An item from the box caught Dankin’s eye. It was a bright white plush animal, a whisperkit Dankin guessed by the size and fluffiness of it.

“That one was mine,” Anakin said, seeing Dankin eyeing the stuffed animal. “My dad gave her to me. She’s supposed to keep bad dreams away.” He pulled it from the box. “And I guess it worked because I never had bad dreams,” he added thoughtfully.

Callista took the toy from Anakin and studied it. “Djinn used to always have whisperkits running loose on his ship to take care of pests. He once told me that he always slept well on his ship because the whisperkits would slurp up nightmares—”

“—along with the conduit worms.” Dankin finished for Callista, recalling an old legend he’d heard long ago.

“Exactly.” Callista nodded approvingly at Dankin. “Are you sure you don’t want to keep her?” she asked Anakin.

“She’s served me well,” Anakin replied. “Now I’ll let her take care of my cousin. If I ever get one,” Anakin said with a grin.

“Well, I should get going,” Dankin said, starting to feel like he was intruding on private family matters.

“Alright,” Callista replied. “Thanks again. I owe you one.”

Dankin said goodbye and headed back to the Wild Karrde. Predictably, the ship was deserted except for one man typing away at a computer in one of the common areas. “You’re back,” he said, not looking up from the screen. “Odonnl was looking for you. I told him you’d be back soon.”

Dankin glanced at his chrono. “That was what? Four hours ago?” he asked.

“Oh, has it been that long?” was the distracted answer.

Typical Ghent, Dankin thought as he shook his head slowly. I wonder how long Odonnl waited for me before giving up. Odonnl and the other guys had been planning on spending the evening bouncing around various hotspots in the city and Dankin had asked Ghent to tell them to go ahead without him. Apparently his request, like most information not communicated through a computer screen, had failed to register in Ghent’s mind. But now Dankin had a few words that just might make it through. “Guess where I was,” he suggested.

“In the engine room?” Ghent guessed, his fingers continuing to stroke the computer keys.

“No, I mean just now. I’ll give you a hint—it wasn’t on this ship.”

“I don’t know, somewhere in the city?”

“Well, we’re on Coruscant it would be hard not to be in the city,” Dankin replied patiently. Realizing that he wasn’t going to get Ghent’s attention playing guessing games, Dankin continued, “Specifically, I was in the apartment of Han Solo’s brother-in-law.” He had learned long ago that Ghent was always more impressed when this sort of thing was given in relation to Han Solo.

“Really?” Ghent asked, glancing up from the computer screen. “Han Solo?”

“Uh-huh. I even helped his soon-to-be sister-in-law paint a wall.”

Then something truly unusual happened. Ghent actually pushed the computer away and looked intently up at Dankin. “How’d you get in?”

Dankin grinned and began the story. “It started when Mara and Karrde gave me their R.S.V.P.s to the Skywalker wedding . . .”

Later that night, as Dankin tried to sleep and his mind wandered over the events of the day he found that his thoughts kept finding their way to one particular part. It wasn’t Callista, or Anakin, or even Skywalker’s apartment. Rather, when he finally drifted to sleep it was to visions of a fluffy white whisperkit.

 

I didn't think part two was weird at all. It was lovely. I liked how Callista was so open and care free around Dankin. Plus, Dankin wanting to make Ghent jealous...that was priceless.

And it's always great to read a story where Anakin is still very much alive.

 

While I will probably have to need a couple more books and comics in order to grasp Callista as a character before I read your AU, I more or less understood this, but if I'm saying nonsense, feel free to set the blaster to stun.

Dankin sure had an interesting experience here. I can guess where Callista's fear of ships came from, but also - perhaps - the fear of changing the entire place could be present. In my interpretation, she needed a hand because of that and Dankin might not be able to put a finger on that, but nevertheless, he sensed that she needed his help. And little Anakin (from the little I read of the Legends Solo kids, I think he's my favourite!) giving away a beloved childhood toy to his possible, future cousin, yet this toy also chases other fears and doubts away.

And then, there's Ghent, the cyberspace cadet, who doesn't make a difference between four hours and a couple of minutes, BECAUSE CODE. And because Ghent.

Great story!

 

I might recommend Children of the Jedi, but nothing beyond that. Her storyline and characterization turned into pretty much of a disaster, IMO. And I must confess, Callista is the one character I don't worry much about keeping in character with canon.

That's a really great insight!! I don't think I've ever actually said (typed) this out loud before, but Callista/Dankin is my super-secret OTP. Hence their instant connection here, though this is sadly their only interaction on this timeline.

Anakin's so sweet, I think he's my favorite Solo kid too. Unfortunately, by the time of the sequel, Callista and Anakin are deceased. But Dankin and the stuffed whisperkit meet again.

Yes! Dear sweet, oblivious Ghent.

I'm not sure how you dug it up, but thanks so much for reading this story!!

 

Loved the not-so-subtle hint from Leia. Callista was totally under-written, IMO, so it's good to see you run with her as a character. Ditto Dankin.

I really liked the whisperkit 'tie-in', and I got a chuckle from the '...I have a complicated relationship with starships...' line. I'm hoping she won't Ghent won't bring up mainframe computing if they meet.

Good stuff!

 

I couldn't agree more. So much wasted potential!

Yes! Thanks for noticing It's a part of my multi-timeline whisperkit saga that I totally lost control of...

Somehow, I'm sure he'd find a way

Thanks very much for reading and commenting!

 

"It's a part of my multi-timeline whisperkit saga that I totally lost control of..."

And which I would like to see continue! You left us hanging with Dankin and Tahiri.

 

Yay for digging out and posting "Save a Seat" because through that I followed the link to RSVP, which I never actually read. So now I get to get the events described later on firsthand.

Luke with Callista was sweet. And Dankin was a delight particularly as he wowed Ghent with the details.

I like Callista the way you write her. She is warm and outgoing and humorous, not bogged down with issues the way the EU authors wrote her up.

 

I so want a Ghent fic right now.

Sent from my SM-T310 using Tapatalk

 

WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Thanks so much for taking the time to comment on this ancient story!!

I like Callista the way you write her. Wow, that's one of the best compliments I've gotten! Thank you!



Ewok Poet I'd love a Ghent-fic too! Unfortunately, I've never had a really good idea for a purely Ghent-centric story. I assume you've read Handoff by Timothy Zahn? That's the most Ghent-focused story I can think of.

 

And you stopped me giving that Callista book of mine away today. Now I will keep it and cherish it.

Thanks for letting the EU stay alive in your stories and writing one that contains both women: Mara and Callista.

 

Oh, wow - I can't believe this little story could have such an impact!

In my mind Star Wars is the EU. I hope it will survive through fanfic for a long, long time. Callista and Mara are two of my favorite characters, and it's not always easy to find stories where they are both written positively, but I try to fill that void just a little bit. Thanks so much for the comments!


Kahara Thanks for all the likes!