The following morning, a groggy Rey woke up with a headache she would have gladly traded in for Jakku's burning heat. She felt awful. He head pounded, her stomach turned, and her body felt out of sorts.
She vowed to never drink that punch again.
Clutching her head, she made her way to the shower, stripping off the dress and letting it fall to her feet. As she stretched, she tried to quiet her thoughts for a single moment, groaning when it didn't work.
The events of the night were rushing through her mind.
Ben and his cold mind trick, the beautiful wedding, the talk with Maz, Maz and Chewie's heartbreaking reunion, the drinks and dancing with Poe, another connection with Ben that made her face warm even now, and the conversation with Leia about her kyber crystal.
And of course, how Rey stumbled her way back to her own room, cursing everything in her way.
She went mad last night, flipping through each book of sacred texts, looking for new information to expose itself to her. She sat, willing the pieces of her saber to fix themselves. And as she lay in bed last night, she questioned why the only thing on her mind was how Ben looked at her as she danced.
Slamming her fist against the wall, she bit her lip to keep herself from crying out.
Kylo Ren was driving her mad.
She had so many questions for him, unable to determine where she wanted to begin. However, now was not the time for it. Sighing, she stepped into the shower, the hot water soothing her flesh.
'Now is not the time to think of him.' Rey thought. 'I have people to train.'
An hour later, a freshly showered and dressed Rey made her way to the training grounds near the base. She didn't exactly like to practice here, being more at peace when she was alone. But, she wanted the new members to feel comfortable.
Spotting Leia and Poe speaking with three others at the sidelines, Rey dropped her staff and canteen at her feet and walked towards them.
"Ah, here she is. Rey, I'd like you to meet Kai, Flora, and Sano." Leia introduced them all, gesturing to them as she spoke their name.
They all hesitantly nodded their greeting to Rey, as they all studied each another. Rey politely smiled to each of them.
Kai and Flora seemed to be twin sisters, the only difference was that Kai's right side of her face was badly scarred. They both had long, black hair with bangs that fell into their eyes, and the tall and slender frame matched Rey's.
Rey guessed they had to be a few years younger than she. Glancing towards the taller boy to her right, she decided he was older than her, maybe by three or four years.
Sano was much different, seemingly unrelated to the girls. His dark brown hair was very short, his features extremely boyish, the only age-telling sign was the dark haired mustache and beard that lingered around his mouth. He was a tall man, rather bulky and wide.
'Not nearly as tall or wide as Ben.' Rey thought.
Inhaling her frustration with her own mind, Rey quickly cast the thought aside and cleared her throat. "Hello, great to meet you all." She muttered. Again, all three nodded.
"Rey is very force-sensitive, and skilled in combat with her staff. You'll train with her for the time being, just to touch up on your own skills and strengthen them." Leia advised.
"So, is she a Jedi?" Kai eagerly asked, curiosity and excitement gleaming in her eyes.
Leia looked to Rey, who glanced to the floor. "Not yet, not fully. Her master, my brother, passed not too long ago. She has trained and learned enough to pass her strengths to you though, I am extremely confidant in this." Leia said, moving to give Rey's arm a light squeeze.
Sano snorted, rolling his eyes. "Of course, we are to learn only some skills and be left without the rest of it. How will we learn anything if she doesn't know it all?" He asked, frustration pouring from every word.
Embarrassed, Rey's cheeks reddened. 'He has said everything I've felt…'
She thought of the moment last night when Ben called her naïve, and accused her of not training.
Determined, Rey challenged him. "We can always practice now? Just to show what the other is working with?" she suggested. Rey felt a thrill rush through her, her smile widening.
Sano looked her up and down, his face almost disgusted. He thought for a moment, and suddenly returned the smile, nodding his head. "Fine, Jedi. Let's do it."
Rey felt Leia's objection, and when Sano let out a loud battle cry, stopping everyone in the courtyard, her objection washed away and was replaced with pride and hope for Rey.
Feeling confident, Rey grabbed her staff and walked to wait at the middle of the training yard for Sano, who was now at the weapons rack the base shared. She watched as he lifted a training axe, testing the girth. He placed it back down once he spotted a much larger staff than hers.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed the twins roll their eyes and glance to one another, making Rey smile lightly.
By now, there was a big crowd circled around them, silently watching the event that was about to take place. Poe and Chewie made their way to them from across the meeting hall.
Sano circled Rey for a moment, studying her with a sinister grin.
Rey felt a small push in her chest. Focusing on it, she felt the force come alive within her, sensing the fight approaching. Shutting her eyes, she let the wave of it course through her, sparking every nerve and vein to life.
She felt untouchable. Never had the force called to her in this way with such intensity, not even the first fight against Kylo Ren, or even with Snoke's guards.
'No,' she thought. 'This is very different.'
"Rey!" she heard her name being called, urgently, and she realized this was not the first time they were trying to catch her attention.
Her eyes opened just in time to stop the jab of Sano's staff aiming for her chest, blocking it with her own. Shoving him away, she whipped the end of her weapon against the back of his knee, making him bend to her.
Sano groaned as his knee crashed to the gravel, meeting Rey's eyes as he stabbed the end of his staff to the tips of her toes, making her cry out in return. Using the staff to stand, he reared his fist back and plunged it straight to her stomach, knocking the wind out of her.
From the sidelines, Poe moved to step in, yelling at Leia to stop this. Chewie and two others of the Resistance held him back as Leia simply held a hand up to stop him.
The crowd roared on.
Rey was crouched now, on all fours trying to gain her breath and balance back.
Still immobile, she heard Sano laughing behind her as he circled her once more.
"I knew it! You can't teach us nothing! I should be the one teaching these rebels!" He yelled, grinning.
Rey bit her lip, and tuned into the frustration that coursed through her, beating herself up mentally that it was turning out this way. Could she not have a break?Could she stop being such a coward, so naive, so stupid...
And in seconds, it all tumbled down on her.
Her parents didn't care.
Kylo didn't care.
No one cared.
Why should she?
Sano laughed again.
The damned laugh.
Rey's pushed herself up from the ground, dust kicking up around her as she did so.
Turning to face him, she met his gaze. The look in her eye made his smile slowly fall.
"Again." Rey said.
She kicked her staff away, and heard the crowd protest, Leia part of them.
Sano smirked, and part of Rey thought he would call her 'Scavenger' as Ben did every chance he could. Rey shook it off, tired that he entered her thoughts so often, sick of being blocked, sick of blocking him, sick of the questions, the fighting, the running, the w-
Rey let out a cry of anger and frustration as she charged to him, and him at her. He went to whip her with the staff. Using the force, she pushed it out of his hands, so hard that it flew yards back, getting lost deep within the forest that surrounded their huge base. For a moment, he was shocked, and he froze in his place. Rey only kept going.
As fast they both could, they ran to one another, his fist ready to hit it's target once more, and as it was going to connect, just an arm's length away, Rey slid on the ground beneath him, making him stumble past her. Rey quickly got up and ran to him as his back was to her now, and with all her might she kicked him right between his shoulder blades, nothing but spine. He yelled, in pain as his chest hit the ground.
Sano got to his feet, ignoring the ache in his back and chest, refusing to be bested by a wannabe jedi. He reared back towards her, as they met face to face. His hand went to her throat, and with one hand on his wrist, she let her palm jab upwards into his extended elbow, nearly dislocating it. He cursed at her as he lost his grip and held his throbbing bone for a monent. With his uninjured arm, he dug his hand into Rey's shoulder, making her wince, and attempted to head-butt her, but she was able to sense it and move away from him.
He squared up to her small frame and moved to kick her with all he had.
Sano's heavy leg raised, his boot was able to touch Rey just slightly before she reached a palm out and stopped him using the force, his entire body freezing in it's place, his eyes wide with fear and shock.
She stepped back, surprised, her arm falling to her side.
His body fell and regained his movement, angrier than before. He ran, and for a moment, Rey thought he might be running away, until she saw her own staff in the distance.
She took off from there, and the crowd around them moved with them, allowing them room to continue.
Rey feared that Sano would reach her staff, and that once he had it, that would be it. She didn't want to use the force to still him, she didn't want to be the reason behind the frightened look he gave her.
But deep down, she felt this was not just a challenge. This was a fight.
Focusing on the force as she did before, she moved it to his mind, probing just for a moment as they both ran to reach the weapon.
She was shocked to see that his intent was to cause damage, not just to win.
Immediately, her defense tripled, her guard heightened. She didn't need to see anything else.
Skidding to a stop behind Sano, who's hand was on the staff, Rey used the force to pull the staff to her, the weapon just grazing against his cheek, marking him. He quickly turned to her, and once he did, she kicked the end of her staff upwards into his nose, his neck whipping back and his body flying to the ground.
Rey moved to stand over him, jutting the end of her trusted stick into his face. He glared at her, spitting blood out of his mouth.
The challenge was over. She had won.
The crowd around them hollered and cheered, Kai and Flora grinning. Poe, Chewie and Leia rushed to Rey's side, who was still staring down Sano at the end of her staff.
"Lesson is over." Rey huffed. Sano's face softened as Rey stepped away from him, and offered him a hand. He let it hang there for a moment, his mouth forming into a thin line.
He reached for it and allowed her to assist him up.
Wincing, Rey noted that he gripped it rather tight right before he let her hand go.
Sano stormed off as the crowd slowly went back to training and cleaning up what was left of the party from last night.
"Rey, are you okay? That was amazing." Poe said, his hand going to her shoulder. Chewie roared his pleasure, letting her know that he did not believe the kid would win over her.
Rey gave a small smile as her breathing returned to normal.
"That was very good Rey. I didn't realize you were so in tune with the force. It came to you so naturally." Leia praised.
"Honestly," Rey began, hesitating as she thought back and replayed the fight. "I'm not sure where it all came from. I didn't even know I was able to still someone like that. Leia, I peered into his mind, only for a moment, and I saw that he didn't just want to win. This wasn't a challenge for him. Part of him wanted to hurt me. Maybe even do more." Rey explained.
Leia pondered this, looking away from her with a worried expression. "He does seem conflicted. When I read into him, he seemed more grateful that he didn't have to deal with his boss any longer."
"The arms dealer you captured?" Rey asked. She glanced to Poe, who was also waiting for Leia's response.
"Yes. They have a deeper connection than that, but I wasn't able to pick up how. Keep your eye on him, Rey. I will, too."
"So will I." Poe promised the same, nodding.
Rey nodded, glancing from him to Leia.
"Any luck finding the necklace?" Leia suddenly asked, making Rey still momentarily. "I'm sorry. I'm just eager to see if it had any juice left in it to bond your saber. With that, your force powers will only grow stronger. We need that, right now."
Gulping, Rey shook her head.
She didn't want to admit it. In fact, she didn't even want to think about it. Rey was eager to speak with Ben about it's location, knowing fully well that he was responsible for taking it. She just did not want to admit that to Leia.
"Not yet. But I will." Rey promised, her gaze looking off into the distance. She swore to herself that she will get the necklace back, no matter what it cost.
The next time she connects with Ben, she will got everything she needs from him.
She just wasn't sure what that entailed.
...
Author's Notes:
Thank you for the new reviews! It was the best surprise and inspired me to belt this out after work. (: Hope you're all liking it, I really do appreciate the reviews/likes/follows.
I did just want to clear one thing up. When Rey is speaking about Ben/Kylo, she refers to whichever name based on her mood at the moment, and to the narrator, for now he is Kylo. Hope that makes sense.
Again, thank you, thank you, thank you!
