Ben had forgotten three things about the planet of Tatooine. One, it actually gets freezing cold in the desert at night. Two, eight o'clock at night is when it starts dipping down into the teens (at least in Fahrenheit), and three, roaming the sandy dunes alone at night feels like a death sentence if you forget to bring a coat. These were common sense things that everyone knew, but Ben Lorennion Solo, famous first born son of the war heroes Han Solo and Leia Organa, forgot in the heat of the moment.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," he said to himself as he shuffled across the sand, shivering.
He was home only an hour ago. He was warm, he was cozy, he had fed himself for the night, but it was quiet. Too quiet, in fact. In his mind's eye, he could see himself pacing back and forth across the floor just to hear the sound of his own footsteps. He tried putting in that "Learn Huttese in a Snap" CD his parents gave him so he could get around the neighboring hamlets without having to mime. Problem was, listening to that thing was just about as exciting as watching grass grow or paint dry, if not less so. He hummed and sang to himself till he could hum and sing no more. The bottom line was that silence drove Ben crazy, especially when he was home alone for days on end.
Thirty minutes ago, in a silence-driven panic, Ben got an absolutely awful idea. He wanted noise, light, motion and color and knew exactly where he could get the stimulation he craved; the neighboring village of Mos Laidas. He could wander the town, get a bite to eat, and then, as soon as he got word that his parents were coming, he could hurry home and no-one would be any wiser. Soon, as if possessed by what could only be a ghost, he packed a bag with a jar of money, a few changes of clothes, and some snacks for the road. Other than his jacket, it was all he needed.
It was too bad that he forgot the jacket.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Ben kept muttering to himself as his teeth chattered with the wind.
He didn't even know if he was going the right way. For all he knew, this "Mos Laidas" place was up his ass and to the left. He heard his parents warn him not to go there many times, in many ways, but they weren't home, what did they care? What did he care? He didn't, and that's exactly why he was walking among the dunes, freezing his choobies off to find this place.
Soon, the darkness which enveloped the desert sands was broken by a bright patch of light. Ben's eyes lit up as his spirit was lifted by hope. In the back of his mind, he knew it could be a red herring, but still, powered by hope, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him up the sand dune.
At the top he could clearly see a small town, all aglow in the night.
"So, this is Mos Laidas," he mumbled to himself. "Nice little place."
He ran down the dune to the town, each of his steps becoming shorter, choppier and flatter as he ran. People flooded the streets as light and sound seemed to dance around him. He heard chattering, clanging, and inebriated singing meld together as it entered his ears. There was light, color, movement; life.
What a change in scenery, indeed.
As Ben looked around, the place had a nostalgic sense of familiarity. Though he had never been to the town before, a part of him, however small, knew these lawless streets well, as well as how dangerous they could be.
That meant nothing to him now. All he could think of was finding a place to sleep.