Orson wasn't entirely sure he had found the place where he belonged, truth be told. It felt strange, being grounded for too long. That usually meant trouble for him, back in the life he lived before this. But he couldn't deny it felt pretty good to help out, when it often seemed the Rebels were just a struggling band. He probably believed in their cause a helluva lot more than the one had fought for before, as a much younger man, and that was saying something, too.
And the company wasn't terrible, either. Some part of him was still taken aback to see her, the resemblance to her parents very obvious at times. But for now his smile widened a bit at her words, cheeky and playful on his expression.
"Oh, this ship is a lot bigger than you think," he countered lightly, before shrugging a shoulder. "Shouldn't a man be comfortable on his own ship?" But he did straighten up, swinging his legs off the table so his feet were back on the ground. "Have a seat." There were two clean glasses already on said table, and he opened the bottle so he could pour them each a generous amount.
It was a big galaxy, after all, with plenty of places for a person to make a living and find a home. Truth be told, Yavin probably wasn't going to be Jyn's permanent home, but for the moment, it was what she had. Who knew where she'd end up after? (Because she had to believe in an after. She couldn't stand the thought of this war never coming to an end.)
No, the company sometimes wasn't all bad. Although it was still sometimes a shock to realize that this man was also the man that she remembered from her childhood, who was always polite enough, but always distant. The disparity between the two absolutely surprises her.
"To be fair, I haven't been given a proper tour", she answered, effectively flopping into her seat with a sigh. "Of course you should be comfortable. Far be it from me to say otherwise." With a smile, she watched as first one glass was filled, and then the other. "I have to admit, that looks exceptionally good."
Back when he had still been working with her father, Krennic hadn't been remotely interested in Jyn. Oh sure, he'd been polite enough for his friends' sake, but he had never been the paternal sort himself. He understood the logistics of carrying on the human race and all that, but what did you do with children when they were just so... helpless and useless like that? His mind had been more in that Imperial way of thinking of course, more focused on himself and the work he had dedicated himself to, but conversation with the grown young woman before him was proving to be far more entertaining, anyway.
"Well, you never asked for a tour now, did you?" he retorted lightly with a little smirk. "I'd be only too happy to show you around my humble abode, kid, but first - " Krennic held out a glass to her. "Sip it, savor it. Remember it is quite rare, something to be enjoyed and not simply tossed back like cheap, Corellian ale." He waggled his eyebrows at her a little. And the wine was good, too - after swirlng it around briefly, pretending to be some kind of wine expert, he took a small drink. He smiled, closed his eyes briefly. "That hits the spot."
Of course not - not when there was important work to be done, who needed the added distraction of a curious child running around underfoot? She couldn't really assist, after all, no matter how much she insisted that she could try. Perhaps it was better to really get to know each other better now that she was older, and far more capable at taking care of herself.
"You're right, I didn't", she responded, shrugging slightly. "But after a drink or two, I might like that. If you're amendable, of course." If she bristled at being called kid, it didn't show in how eagerly she accepted the glass, nor how intently she scrutinized it before bringing the glass to her lips to take a small sip, to savor it, enjoy the flavor - the bouquet, a more pretentious person might say. "'S good", she replied, once she swallowed, nodding. "It's really good."
He chuckled quietly, amused despite himself. No, she was certainly a child no longer. Interesting how that had come about, and how they found themselves here together now. What would her parents think of that, he wondered? Would they be glad he was showing more of an interest in her general well-being now that she wasn't just some distracting little kid?
"I could be persuaded to give you a tour," he nodded, eyeing his drink. "Depending upon how many glasses we have, of course, the tour may be more or less... exciting." A smirk, before he drank some more. "Glad you like it. I don't waste this stuff on just anyone, you know. You should feel lucky I was in such a generous mood tonight."
She still maintained that quality, though, or some of it, at least. And that certainly helped when she needed to convince people that she wasn't a threat. But Jyn wasn't pretending now - certainly, she wasn't completely at ease, but more relaxed than she'd been in ... far too long.
That was debatable, mostly depending on just what his intentions with her were. At the very least, they'd tell her to be cautious, which Jyn had every intention of doing, anyway. One never really knew who they could trust, after all.
"Ooh, the exciting tour. Count me in for that one", she replied, chuckling. "How many drinks for that one?" She soon followed suit, taking another drink, and taking her time in enjoying it. "Of course. You could have shared it with anybody, after all, and here I am."
Surprisingly, Krennic realized he wanted her to trust him and it wasn't only because they were on the same side. Though his name might have been fairly well-known in some parts of the galaxy, he didn't actually have that many friends. He wasn't sure he could call his allies in the Rebellion his friends, either, though he didn't think Captain Andor was all bad. Certainly Jyn wasn't, though he was still sussing out just what, exactly, she actually was.
He grinned cheekily at her. "Well, it takes at least one drink, so probably don't take too long with that one," he nodded to the glass in her hand. One minute he was telling her to savor it, and the next he was telling her to hurry it up. "You're a much better conversationalist than some of the others - except the blind fella, I suppose. But then you can't get him to shut up and then it's all the Force this and the Force that. And it's just like - I get it, mate, but I'm not always in the philosophizing mood." Of course he was mostly joking around with her now.
Everybody needed someone to trust, no matter how much they might argue to the contrary. You never really knew when that trust would come in handy, so it was key to cultivate it when and where you could. For as much as a loner as Jyn used to be, even she recognized the merit in it. And while she was closest to the Rogue crew, she counted others on Base One as friends, too, in one way or another. Krennic, though - she still wasn't sure about.
"Savor or swig?", she asked, her grin sliding all the wider. "You're the captain, after all. I'll follow your rules." She laughed then; a long, loud, thoroughly amused noise, often unused in the absence of anything truly joyful. "Just wait until you play Sabacc or something with him. He'll scam you out of all your credits, and all with a smile on his face the whole time. And Baze - he's definitely the strong, silent type. Bodhi's just ... - ", wary, mostly, but scrambled, too, still trying to find himself. "I'm glad to have won that particular contest, I'll try to keep you entertained."
"Oh, what the hell - you savored your first drink, you can swig the rest if you like," he chuckled, waving her comments away carelessly. Krennic was still figuring her out, but he did decide then and there that he liked her laugh. He rolled his eyes when she talked about Sabacc with Chirrut. "Even if he's got this deeper understanding of the Force, it's not that easy to beat me at a game of Sabacc, actually." Unless Baze was in on it and helping his blind friend cheat or something. He wouldn't put it past the two old buddies. Granted he didn't know Bodhi well, other than that he seemed to make the younger man nervous.
"Well, if it makes a difference, I think you're doing a fine job so far," he complimented her, pretending to mock-toast her with his glass. She hadn't mentioned Cassian but then neither had he, and maybe he didn't yet want to know what she thought of the intelligence officer who was closer to her age. "So what about you, then - what's your story? I mean, all the interesting bits I don't know." He smiled lightly, propping his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand. "Who is Jyn Erso? What do you really think about the Rebellion and fighting for the cause?"
Jyn winked playfully, encouraged to finish the drink quickly, which she did, she sat the glass down in front of her and sat back with a sigh, enjoying the slight dizzy sensation that made her feel ... a little off-balance. That was good wine, indeed. "Is that so? Maybe I'll challenge you to a game one of these days, then. I've been known to be pretty good." Out of necessity, of course. It was easy to con unsuspecting beings when one could appear far more innocent and naive than they actually were.
Now it was Jyn's turn to offer a slightly sarcastic salute in return. After all, it wouldn't do to return the toast with an empty glass. "Good to know." She hadn't brought up Cassian because ... well, truthfully? She wasn't quite sure what was going on between the pair of them. Strange, the way they orbited each other while simultaneously ignoring that pull, and what it might mean. Best to let that alone for the moment. "What's my story", she repeated, the syllables drawn out as she tried to think of a suitable answer. "Well, if you ask the higher ups, I'm a bit of a pain in the ass. Don't forget the propensity for barreling into situations without thinking them through. Really, I've just learned that if you think too much in the heat of the moment, you're dead, and the last thing I want to be is dead, so." She shrugged, clearly tickled by the whole chin in hand bit. "I think I'm still discovering who I am, actually. It's different on any given day. Catch me tomorrow and ask again."
She paused, and sighed, and an eyebrow raised just so. "Sometimes I don't know that anyone is in the right. Sometimes I think we're in the middle of a never-ending fight. And is that really helping, or harming, in the grand scheme of things?"
It was good wine, and probably he should keep an eye out for her because she was smaller than him and had to have less of a tolerance for alcohol. But whether or not he seemed the type, he wouldn't let anything happen to her under his watch. Not that he was looking out for her, of course - not that he would admit to it aloud, anyway. "Is that so? Well, anytime, sweetheart, so long as you're up for making that game a little interesting." Leave it to him to want to gamble still, even if it was frowned upon, if not illegal. Certainly smuggling was, but he hadn't been doing much of that in a while now.
He grinned crookedly and nodded at her salute. Honestly, he was fine not talking about Cassian or any of the others, if only because he didn't really care so much about them - at least, not when his attention was on this young woman drinking with him. And even though his brain was starting to become a little bit fuzzy from the drink, he did listen and pay attention to her as she spoke. "Oh, I love being a pain in the ass. You should take that one as a compliment." His grin was cheeky, his chin still dutifully propped up on his hand.
But then he shrugged, and dropped the act just a little, gesturing vaguely with his own empty glass. "Well - you are still fairly young. Now I know you don't want to hear that, but you are. Just means you've got time to do all that discovering. Whereas me... I'm what most of the kids around here would call old. I should be well past the point of figuring out who I am and what, exactly I stand for. Course, I did figure out it it wasn't the Empire, so I suppose I'm not entirely unsure who I am." Picking up the wine bottle, he topped off her glass without asking her first, then did the same for his own. "I don't completely disagree with you there. The Rebels are not saints, but... they mean well. And the power the Empire is building... it has to be stopped." He raised his brow, leaned forward. "I'm just not sure anyone has quite discovered the best way to go about doing that yet."
She could hold her own fairly admirably - but then, this wine was of far better quality than she was used to. Perhaps she should watch herself a little more closely, too, but then, again, perhaps not. Everybody deserved a break from the realities of their situation every now and again. She raised an eyebrow just so, fully interested if the way she leaned just a bit closer was any indication. "Define interesting." Who would it hurt in the long run, really, if they decided to gamble just a little? There were worse bad habits to have.
Jyn couldn't deny that there was something pleasing in being a recipient to that grin, and there was no helping the way that hers only slid wider in return. Some topics of conversation could be saved for another time, including talk of anyone else - for the moment, nobody else even existed. It was, instead, easy enough to focus on here and now and little else. She laughed again, the sudden, short bark of laughter that is common to those who aren't used to doing so. At least it sounded amused? It should, in any case, because she was. "You? Never would have guessed." Which was an awful lie, given the complaints she'd surreptitiously heard from certain higher ups and other personnel alike. "At least I'm in good company, then."
She was hardly offended by the statement, even if she rolled her eyes to hear it. She was young, yes, but not without years worth of experiences that most people wouldn't have in an entire lifetime. Also, time was never a guarantee, so she didn't really tend to ... make future plans. This life was all about here and now, and there wasn't any room for anything else. "You're not old", she scoffed, shaking her head. "You're ... experienced." She shrugged, and happily accepted the freshly refilled glass, sighing softly before indulging in another slow sip. "Maybe it's never too late to discover who you are, what you want."
She considered the next statements, nodding her agreement. Not that she knows what the leaders of the Rebellion actually know, but she hoped that what they were doing, the missions they were being sent out on weren't all in vain. "I'm sure they've already spoken to you at length about your years in the Empire."
"Well, I was gonna suggest we gamble a bit, but I would hate to take all your credits away from you," he said with a mockingly sweet, sympathetic smile. Still, the way his eyes twinkled, he would do it either way. Probably he wouldn't take all of her credits from her, if she were to surprise him. He wouldn't put it past her, of course.
Krennic didn't really have many friends in the Rebellion right now. Oh sure, they were all allies and comrades in arms on the same side, but he wasn't exactly buddies with them all. Most of them couldn't stand him, and just barely tolerated him because they needed the numbers, he had all that information on the Empire that was of use to them, and honestly, he wasn't a bad fighter. Good pilot, too - though many of them were grudging to admit, and skilled at reading people. That was always needed in a good interrogation. He was sure he annoyed the hell out of Cassian, but the intelligence officer was a tough fella - he hadn't given up on him completely. And then there was Jyn... someone he was still figuring out, but so far, someone he thought he was becoming kinda fond of. And it didn't just matter who her parents were, she was interesting all on her own. So he smirked at her words, amused. "I know, I'm completely innocent. Don't listen to the rumors." He was joking, of course, and pleased to hear she too was annoying to others. Like him, he wondered if she didn't really care.
He snorted dryly at her comments about him not being old. "'Experienced' is just another word for old you know, but thank you for the compliments - it's very flattering." Krennic watched her over his glass for a moment, thoughtful. He nodded, however, when she mentioned his time in the Empire. "They did. I was on the receiving end of a lovely little interrogation by Captain Andor and a couple others. I like to think it brought us closer together." A crooked little grin, and shrug of his shoulders. "I had information they thought they needed, so. It's fine."
He took another drink as well, considering her words. "Well, perhaps you're right. Perhaps it's not too late to figure out what life is all about." A beat, then, gazing at her steadily - "And what do you want, Jyn?"
Jyn matched that smile, and cocked her head to the side as though she was really studying Krennic, even though her eyes shone with nothing but amusement. "It's cute that you think you could", she replied, all innocence. "Maybe we'll have to play sometime, find out."
Short of her little core group, Jyn couldn't say that she had many actual friends, either. But then, out of necessity, she'd always kept to herself. Even when surrounded by Saw's other rebels, she never allowed herself to get too close to anyone. It saved hassle and heartache in the end. And now that she was here ... she knew damn well that many people still didn't trust her, either. Which is just another thing that she and Krennic had in common, wasn't it, no matter how much they'd both proven themselves useful, and more trustworthy than they were given credit for. When she laughed again, it was a far more natural sound, like she was settling into using it all over again. "I can hardly understand why they'd think otherwise! Ah, their loss, then, and my gain."
She got to share in the wine, after all, and the sort of conversation that made her feel a whole hell of a lot lighter than she'd felt in quite some time. And that was something to be enjoyed to the fullest. "I don't know", she sighed, eyebrow lifting just so, "From where I'm sitting, you don't look old at all. And you don't act it, either, which helps."
Her expression darkened for a moment, although it hardly lasted longer than a heartbeat before it shifted back to normal. "I once found myself at the end of one of those, yes. It was less painful than I was expecting it to be, thankfully - ", she offered, paused, and shrugged. "I've had worse."
Jyn wished that she had a ready made answer, if only to fill the silence that permeated the space between them while she tried to think of a suitable answer. There were so many things that she thought she wanted, how could she even begin figuring out what was most important? "Too much, I think", she finally replied, smiling wryly. "To be happy. But don't we all want that?"
Jyn was certainly amusing, and Krennic hadn't realized he needed that kind of company... until now. Often, everyone was just so serious around the base, that it was hard to have a good laugh with them. Chirrut had a funny sense of humor, of course, though he often thought the blind man was laughing at him. And getting Cassian to crack a smile was basically impossible. So this was... unexpected, but certainly welcome.
"We'll have our sabacc game, then. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you the first round." Oh boy.
Krennic knew he still probably looked his age, but her compliments were... nice to hear. He shook his head when she mentioned the interrogation, however, not wanting to dwell too long on unpleasant memories for them - though he, too, had faced far worse pain and suffering. He didn't like the idea of anyone being too rough with her, even though he thought she seemed like quite the strong young woman.
"Happy... has different definitions for different people," he decided lightly, raising his brow. "Suppose we have to figure out what would make us most happy. Some of us might have to settle for being simply content. I think I'd be alright if I got this blasted bounty off my head - important Imperial fugitive and all - then maybe save up enough credits to buy myself a little place on a peaceful planet somewhere." He smirked a bit, gesturing vaguely. "After all this fighting dies down, of course. Don't know if the Rebellion can actually find the peace they seek. They paint a pretty picture, but... sometimes I think they're a little naive."
Jyn didn't really ever get the chance to relax so thoroughly, so to say that she was relishing it to the best of her ability was a bit of an understatement. Everybody needed the opportunity to shed their worries for a while, the pair of them included. So, here she was, loose and laughing and undeniably tickled, and enjoying every moment.
"Hm", she sniffed, shrugging gently. "Who says I'm gonna go easy on you?"
That wasn't necessarily a bad thing. As they said, in their infinite wisdom, with age came experience, and she knew for a fact that that was true. She might be young, but that didn't mean that Jyn was without her fair share of experience. Still, they weren't here for that kind of talk, and she didn't want to get all morose when she was enjoying the wine, and the gentle teasing.
But here they were discussing happiness, of all things, and that was something that always felt just out of grasp for her. So while she nodded her agreement to most of the points made, she found herself thinking about what happiness meant to her, personally, and couldn't really imagine what would bring it to her, other than a reunion with her father, and at this point, that didn't seem very likely at all. "Lofty goals, they've got, and admirable ones, but I agree. There's always going to be some threat somewhere."
She sighed then, offered the hint of a crooked little smile, and took another sip. "I think you know that's not bloody likely! Unless you can fake your death, you're always going to be a high value target. Who knows what you've told us, after all."
And then her smile slowly slid into something wide, jesting. "How are you going to do that when I'm fully intent on stealing all of those credits away from you?"
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And the company wasn't terrible, either. Some part of him was still taken aback to see her, the resemblance to her parents very obvious at times. But for now his smile widened a bit at her words, cheeky and playful on his expression.
"Oh, this ship is a lot bigger than you think," he countered lightly, before shrugging a shoulder. "Shouldn't a man be comfortable on his own ship?" But he did straighten up, swinging his legs off the table so his feet were back on the ground. "Have a seat." There were two clean glasses already on said table, and he opened the bottle so he could pour them each a generous amount.
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No, the company sometimes wasn't all bad. Although it was still sometimes a shock to realize that this man was also the man that she remembered from her childhood, who was always polite enough, but always distant. The disparity between the two absolutely surprises her.
"To be fair, I haven't been given a proper tour", she answered, effectively flopping into her seat with a sigh. "Of course you should be comfortable. Far be it from me to say otherwise." With a smile, she watched as first one glass was filled, and then the other. "I have to admit, that looks exceptionally good."
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"Well, you never asked for a tour now, did you?" he retorted lightly with a little smirk. "I'd be only too happy to show you around my humble abode, kid, but first - " Krennic held out a glass to her. "Sip it, savor it. Remember it is quite rare, something to be enjoyed and not simply tossed back like cheap, Corellian ale." He waggled his eyebrows at her a little. And the wine was good, too - after swirlng it around briefly, pretending to be some kind of wine expert, he took a small drink. He smiled, closed his eyes briefly. "That hits the spot."
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"You're right, I didn't", she responded, shrugging slightly. "But after a drink or two, I might like that. If you're amendable, of course." If she bristled at being called kid, it didn't show in how eagerly she accepted the glass, nor how intently she scrutinized it before bringing the glass to her lips to take a small sip, to savor it, enjoy the flavor - the bouquet, a more pretentious person might say. "'S good", she replied, once she swallowed, nodding. "It's really good."
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"I could be persuaded to give you a tour," he nodded, eyeing his drink. "Depending upon how many glasses we have, of course, the tour may be more or less... exciting." A smirk, before he drank some more. "Glad you like it. I don't waste this stuff on just anyone, you know. You should feel lucky I was in such a generous mood tonight."
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That was debatable, mostly depending on just what his intentions with her were. At the very least, they'd tell her to be cautious, which Jyn had every intention of doing, anyway. One never really knew who they could trust, after all.
"Ooh, the exciting tour. Count me in for that one", she replied, chuckling. "How many drinks for that one?" She soon followed suit, taking another drink, and taking her time in enjoying it. "Of course. You could have shared it with anybody, after all, and here I am."
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He grinned cheekily at her. "Well, it takes at least one drink, so probably don't take too long with that one," he nodded to the glass in her hand. One minute he was telling her to savor it, and the next he was telling her to hurry it up. "You're a much better conversationalist than some of the others - except the blind fella, I suppose. But then you can't get him to shut up and then it's all the Force this and the Force that. And it's just like - I get it, mate, but I'm not always in the philosophizing mood." Of course he was mostly joking around with her now.
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"Savor or swig?", she asked, her grin sliding all the wider. "You're the captain, after all. I'll follow your rules." She laughed then; a long, loud, thoroughly amused noise, often unused in the absence of anything truly joyful. "Just wait until you play Sabacc or something with him. He'll scam you out of all your credits, and all with a smile on his face the whole time. And Baze - he's definitely the strong, silent type. Bodhi's just ... - ", wary, mostly, but scrambled, too, still trying to find himself. "I'm glad to have won that particular contest, I'll try to keep you entertained."
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"Well, if it makes a difference, I think you're doing a fine job so far," he complimented her, pretending to mock-toast her with his glass. She hadn't mentioned Cassian but then neither had he, and maybe he didn't yet want to know what she thought of the intelligence officer who was closer to her age. "So what about you, then - what's your story? I mean, all the interesting bits I don't know." He smiled lightly, propping his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand. "Who is Jyn Erso? What do you really think about the Rebellion and fighting for the cause?"
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Now it was Jyn's turn to offer a slightly sarcastic salute in return. After all, it wouldn't do to return the toast with an empty glass. "Good to know." She hadn't brought up Cassian because ... well, truthfully? She wasn't quite sure what was going on between the pair of them. Strange, the way they orbited each other while simultaneously ignoring that pull, and what it might mean. Best to let that alone for the moment. "What's my story", she repeated, the syllables drawn out as she tried to think of a suitable answer. "Well, if you ask the higher ups, I'm a bit of a pain in the ass. Don't forget the propensity for barreling into situations without thinking them through. Really, I've just learned that if you think too much in the heat of the moment, you're dead, and the last thing I want to be is dead, so." She shrugged, clearly tickled by the whole chin in hand bit. "I think I'm still discovering who I am, actually. It's different on any given day. Catch me tomorrow and ask again."
She paused, and sighed, and an eyebrow raised just so. "Sometimes I don't know that anyone is in the right. Sometimes I think we're in the middle of a never-ending fight. And is that really helping, or harming, in the grand scheme of things?"
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He grinned crookedly and nodded at her salute. Honestly, he was fine not talking about Cassian or any of the others, if only because he didn't really care so much about them - at least, not when his attention was on this young woman drinking with him. And even though his brain was starting to become a little bit fuzzy from the drink, he did listen and pay attention to her as she spoke. "Oh, I love being a pain in the ass. You should take that one as a compliment." His grin was cheeky, his chin still dutifully propped up on his hand.
But then he shrugged, and dropped the act just a little, gesturing vaguely with his own empty glass. "Well - you are still fairly young. Now I know you don't want to hear that, but you are. Just means you've got time to do all that discovering. Whereas me... I'm what most of the kids around here would call old. I should be well past the point of figuring out who I am and what, exactly I stand for. Course, I did figure out it it wasn't the Empire, so I suppose I'm not entirely unsure who I am." Picking up the wine bottle, he topped off her glass without asking her first, then did the same for his own. "I don't completely disagree with you there. The Rebels are not saints, but... they mean well. And the power the Empire is building... it has to be stopped." He raised his brow, leaned forward. "I'm just not sure anyone has quite discovered the best way to go about doing that yet."
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Jyn couldn't deny that there was something pleasing in being a recipient to that grin, and there was no helping the way that hers only slid wider in return. Some topics of conversation could be saved for another time, including talk of anyone else - for the moment, nobody else even existed. It was, instead, easy enough to focus on here and now and little else. She laughed again, the sudden, short bark of laughter that is common to those who aren't used to doing so. At least it sounded amused? It should, in any case, because she was. "You? Never would have guessed." Which was an awful lie, given the complaints she'd surreptitiously heard from certain higher ups and other personnel alike. "At least I'm in good company, then."
She was hardly offended by the statement, even if she rolled her eyes to hear it. She was young, yes, but not without years worth of experiences that most people wouldn't have in an entire lifetime. Also, time was never a guarantee, so she didn't really tend to ... make future plans. This life was all about here and now, and there wasn't any room for anything else. "You're not old", she scoffed, shaking her head. "You're ... experienced." She shrugged, and happily accepted the freshly refilled glass, sighing softly before indulging in another slow sip. "Maybe it's never too late to discover who you are, what you want."
She considered the next statements, nodding her agreement. Not that she knows what the leaders of the Rebellion actually know, but she hoped that what they were doing, the missions they were being sent out on weren't all in vain. "I'm sure they've already spoken to you at length about your years in the Empire."
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Krennic didn't really have many friends in the Rebellion right now. Oh sure, they were all allies and comrades in arms on the same side, but he wasn't exactly buddies with them all. Most of them couldn't stand him, and just barely tolerated him because they needed the numbers, he had all that information on the Empire that was of use to them, and honestly, he wasn't a bad fighter. Good pilot, too - though many of them were grudging to admit, and skilled at reading people. That was always needed in a good interrogation. He was sure he annoyed the hell out of Cassian, but the intelligence officer was a tough fella - he hadn't given up on him completely. And then there was Jyn... someone he was still figuring out, but so far, someone he thought he was becoming kinda fond of. And it didn't just matter who her parents were, she was interesting all on her own. So he smirked at her words, amused. "I know, I'm completely innocent. Don't listen to the rumors." He was joking, of course, and pleased to hear she too was annoying to others. Like him, he wondered if she didn't really care.
He snorted dryly at her comments about him not being old. "'Experienced' is just another word for old you know, but thank you for the compliments - it's very flattering." Krennic watched her over his glass for a moment, thoughtful. He nodded, however, when she mentioned his time in the Empire. "They did. I was on the receiving end of a lovely little interrogation by Captain Andor and a couple others. I like to think it brought us closer together." A crooked little grin, and shrug of his shoulders. "I had information they thought they needed, so. It's fine."
He took another drink as well, considering her words. "Well, perhaps you're right. Perhaps it's not too late to figure out what life is all about." A beat, then, gazing at her steadily - "And what do you want, Jyn?"
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Short of her little core group, Jyn couldn't say that she had many actual friends, either. But then, out of necessity, she'd always kept to herself. Even when surrounded by Saw's other rebels, she never allowed herself to get too close to anyone. It saved hassle and heartache in the end. And now that she was here ... she knew damn well that many people still didn't trust her, either. Which is just another thing that she and Krennic had in common, wasn't it, no matter how much they'd both proven themselves useful, and more trustworthy than they were given credit for. When she laughed again, it was a far more natural sound, like she was settling into using it all over again. "I can hardly understand why they'd think otherwise! Ah, their loss, then, and my gain."
She got to share in the wine, after all, and the sort of conversation that made her feel a whole hell of a lot lighter than she'd felt in quite some time. And that was something to be enjoyed to the fullest. "I don't know", she sighed, eyebrow lifting just so, "From where I'm sitting, you don't look old at all. And you don't act it, either, which helps."
Her expression darkened for a moment, although it hardly lasted longer than a heartbeat before it shifted back to normal. "I once found myself at the end of one of those, yes. It was less painful than I was expecting it to be, thankfully - ", she offered, paused, and shrugged. "I've had worse."
Jyn wished that she had a ready made answer, if only to fill the silence that permeated the space between them while she tried to think of a suitable answer. There were so many things that she thought she wanted, how could she even begin figuring out what was most important? "Too much, I think", she finally replied, smiling wryly. "To be happy. But don't we all want that?"
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"We'll have our sabacc game, then. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you the first round." Oh boy.
Krennic knew he still probably looked his age, but her compliments were... nice to hear. He shook his head when she mentioned the interrogation, however, not wanting to dwell too long on unpleasant memories for them - though he, too, had faced far worse pain and suffering. He didn't like the idea of anyone being too rough with her, even though he thought she seemed like quite the strong young woman.
"Happy... has different definitions for different people," he decided lightly, raising his brow. "Suppose we have to figure out what would make us most happy. Some of us might have to settle for being simply content. I think I'd be alright if I got this blasted bounty off my head - important Imperial fugitive and all - then maybe save up enough credits to buy myself a little place on a peaceful planet somewhere." He smirked a bit, gesturing vaguely. "After all this fighting dies down, of course. Don't know if the Rebellion can actually find the peace they seek. They paint a pretty picture, but... sometimes I think they're a little naive."
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"Hm", she sniffed, shrugging gently. "Who says I'm gonna go easy on you?"
That wasn't necessarily a bad thing. As they said, in their infinite wisdom, with age came experience, and she knew for a fact that that was true. She might be young, but that didn't mean that Jyn was without her fair share of experience. Still, they weren't here for that kind of talk, and she didn't want to get all morose when she was enjoying the wine, and the gentle teasing.
But here they were discussing happiness, of all things, and that was something that always felt just out of grasp for her. So while she nodded her agreement to most of the points made, she found herself thinking about what happiness meant to her, personally, and couldn't really imagine what would bring it to her, other than a reunion with her father, and at this point, that didn't seem very likely at all. "Lofty goals, they've got, and admirable ones, but I agree. There's always going to be some threat somewhere."
She sighed then, offered the hint of a crooked little smile, and took another sip. "I think you know that's not bloody likely! Unless you can fake your death, you're always going to be a high value target. Who knows what you've told us, after all."
And then her smile slowly slid into something wide, jesting. "How are you going to do that when I'm fully intent on stealing all of those credits away from you?"