As Shay waited for Poe to return with the drinks, she quietly watched a couple of female Pantorans not far from where she sat. They had been laughing and talking closely with one another about something that was obviously very amusing. It was nice to see, especially to Shay. Considering how much was going on beyond the atmosphere of her home moon, the more she saw people laughing, the more all the fighting beyond Pantora became worth it. If she could somehow contribute to a cause that would ensure more of the galaxy's inhabitants lived long enough to laugh and enjoy life together, then she was doing what she knew in her heart was right.
Her focus on the Pantoran's happiness was abruptly broken by Poe, who took her by surprise when he slid to a stop in front of her booth. His eyes were wild and his breath short and tight.
"We gotta go."
"What? Why!?"
Poe grabbed her by the arm. "No time" he said, pulling her from the booth. "We gotta find a ship."
Shay's mind was a flurry of questions as she was led away from her seat. She felt her heart rate quicken in fear just from looking at Poe. His face left little to the imagination: whatever they were running from, it wasn't good.
As quickly as they could, among the turning heads and staring eyes of the cantina's guests, Shay and Poe hurried from the bar and emerged onto the street. Poe quickly scanned the surroundings, then turned to Shay.
"What's the quickest way to the docking yard?" he asked, urgency in his voice.
"You have got to slow down" Shay said, feeling Poe's desperation transferring to her. "Tell me what's going on."
He shook his head. "It's too long of a story and we have to leave this planet. Trust me - the safety of the Resistance is at stake right now."
From somewhere behind them, a blaster was fired. The laser skimmed the top of their heads, and both Shay and Poe ducked. It hit the wall of the building, showering them with exploded rubble.
Poe moved his body over Shay's, safeguarding her from anything further. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Brrang coming towards them. "We need to move it!"
They took off at a sprint for the next alleyway over. As they ran, Shay dug frantically in the small purse she'd brought and withdrew a small blaster. As they rounded the corner, she held back and started firing at Brrang.
Poe spun around, his face contorting as he saw Shay backing away while firing at the same time. "You have a blaster with you?!"
"I told you!" She fired a final time, then turned and started to run. "My brothers always said to carry one!"
Poe smiled for the first time since he saw Brrang. He took off running alongside Shay as they fled the streets of Pantora City. Passers-by looked at them strangely as they blew past, entering a curved alleyway that temporarily shielded them wandering eyes in the street beyond. There, they caught their breath and crouched low against the wall.
"So..." Shay said, her breathing ragged. "You were saying?"
Poe's eyes stayed focused on the street. "We need to get to a ship, but not our ship." When he looked to her, his gaze turned apologetic. "As you can see, we're being followed."
"So I gathered" she replied. "And who are we being followed by, exactly? Please don't tell me it's the First Or-"
Poe clamped a hand over her mouth, then looked around to see if anyone heard. Shay immediately felt stupid for having almost said it out loud, but she couldn't believe they were being followed at all, let alone by the damn First Order. Now she understood why Poe couldn't explain what was going on just yet.
"We should make for my father's house" Shay told him. "We'll take one of my brother's ships."
Poe snapped his fingers. "Bingo."
With Shay's hand in his, they took off for the train. Poe had no idea where Brrang could have gone, but it seemed they lost him for the time being. He also had no idea who Brrang was with at the cantina, but he had a good enough idea. It didn't matter. None of it did. They found him...somehow...and as long as they knew where he was, they weren't far from knowing where the Resistance base was. He had to protect D'Qar at all costs.
While they were on the train, Poe took no chances. He shielded Shay with his body as they stood in a corner away from the other passengers. Luckily for them, the amount of people leaving the city wasn't nearly as many as the ones going in to the city. Because of this, it was easy for Poe to spot anyone who looked suspicious, but his gut told him the gang couldn't track them by foot. They somehow had a way of tracking him in flight, even when he wasn't in his X-wing. The puzzle of this racked his brain, driving him to anger, even as they left the train and hurried on to the Pewcha home.
Once they arrived, Shay led Poe back to the landing pad behind the house. Her father had acquired a modest amount of acreage when they moved into the home, though it wasn't much. It was enough, however, to host three small passenger ships and one Planet Hopper, all of which were old beat-up things used by her bothers to get between Orto Plutonia and Pantora.
Poe stared up at the ships, nodding and smiling. "Yeah, yeeeaaah...these'll do." He turned to Shay. "Grab what you can and meet me back here, alright? In the meantime, I'll get one of these going." In saying this, he noticed that Shay's face had softened. Where she previously looked determined and strong, had now given way to the gravity of the moment.
Poe took a step closer to her. "I know" he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. His gaze was tender; he could feel the every emotion she felt in that moment as if they were his own. In a way, they had been…when he was younger. "It's not ideal at all, or even close to what we had planned."
Shay nodded sympathetically. "It's alright. It's our life now, isn't it?" She could see him agreeing with her, even as he leaned in to kiss her.
"At least we have each other in all this, right?" He cracked a grin, trying to help in any way he could. Luckily, Shay smiled back, and he felt himself grow calmer at the sight.
"I'll make it quick" she told him, then kissed him once more before heading back to the house.
Okay Shay, she coached herself, it's the moment you've been dreading, and you have to do it quick. She flung open the door to the house and entered and saw her father was already coming down the stairs. He was dressed in his sleeping robe, but he looked alert.
"Yavi?"
"Papa." She rushed into his arms, giving him a hug. "Something's happened-"
"-Are you alright?" He held his daughter's face out before him. "What's wrong?"
"Poe and I…." Just say it, Shay. "I'm sorry Papa, but we have to leave."
Verrun's brow creased. "Now?!"
Shay nodded, fighting against the tears that were fogging her eyes. "It's the..." She hesitated, then told herself screw it. "It's the First Order. They found us and they've been following us for who knows how long." She saw the confusion and fear on her father's face at her mere mentioning of the FO, but it was the reality of her life. "I wish I had the time to explain, Papa, I do..."
"You must go" he told her. "Waste no more time. Get your stuff and go, as fast as you can."
He understood, and Shay was ever-thankful. She gave him a dutiful nod, then bolted upstairs. At the same time, her brother, Tillum, had awoken and encountered Shay on the stairs.
"We're taking your ship" Shay told him as she ran past. "Hope that's okay!"
Tillum, still sleepy-faced and confused as to what was even going on, merely shrugged. "Is Commander Dameron flying it?"
"YES" she called from beyond the walls of her room.
Tillum smiled. "Niiiiiice."
In her bedroom, Shay scooped up everything she still had lying on the floor and shoved it into her travel bag. She sat on it to get it to shut, finally able to zip it. Taking a quick glance out her bedroom window, she saw Poe firing the engines of her brother's ship.
Now or never, Shay. Time to say goodbye to your past.
She swallowed every ounce of fear and sadness and hoisted her bag, then made her way downstairs.
Poe lost a little of his fear of Brrang and the rest of the Ranc gang the second he sat down inside the ship. One look around the cockpit was all he needed to get familiarized with the make and model. He initiated pre-flight sequences, feeling more secure by the minute. As long as they were in a ship and he was flying it, they'd be safe. That much he guaranteed.
Lifting the headset on, he adjusted the mouthpiece and got to work on initiating contact with D'Qar. There was absolutely no chance this plane had a tracking device on it, so he felt safe enough to make contact from there. He was just about to radio the base when the cockpit door whoosed open, revealing Shay.
"How'd it go?" he asked. Seeing how strained her face looked, he likely already knew the answer.
"It is what it is." Shay dropped her bags in the back of the ship and took a seat next to Poe. "Let's just get out of here."
Poe took his headset off and turned in his seat. "Shayavi."
She didn't want to look at him, but she did.
"It's never really goodbye" he told her. "We get to keep them with us, in our own way, even when they're not there. And...I know it's not the same, but...it's still pretty good."
He attempted a smile, but it came out crooked and bashful. Shay felt exactly one tear escape down her cheek because of this. Poe's expression held nothing but concern for her. He was still sweaty from all their rushing around, and his hair was, once again, a delightful mess. Everything about him, including his words, comforted her.
"Thank you" she said, truly appreciative of everything he was.
He nodded, then slipped his headset back on. Shay did the same, fitting her brother's headset on over her violet hair. Instead of looking like a real couple as Poe had thought earlier in the night, they now appeared as merely overdressed pilots. This thought occurred to Shay as she strapped herself into the safety restraints, listening as Poe radioed the Resistance.
"This is Commander Poe Dameron, requesting urgent communication with General Organa" he spoke into the mouth piece. He pulled the ship off the ground just enough to retract the landing gear. "I'm currently located outside Pantora City, requesting urgent communication with General Organ-"
"-General Organa here. What's the issue now, Dameron? I thought I told you to enjoy yourself?"
Both Poe and Shay smiled when they heard her voice.
"Right, yeah - and we were" Poe spoke. He flipped a level and ignited the secondary engines. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but I can confirm that the Ranc gang has been following us - and they've likely being doing so all the way from Lahsbane."
Silence hung on the line.
"You're kidding" came General Organa's voice.
Poe shook his head as if she was there. "I wish I was, General." He tilted his chin at Shay. "You ready?"
"As I'll ever be" she replied, forcing a smile.
Poe brought the ship further off the ground, gaining clearance from the house and the rest of the community. As he began to fully explain the details of their story to Leia, Shay listened as well, learning about his long and exasperating history of outrunning the gang of bounty hunters.
As they pulled away, Shay looked down and watched as her home, her father, and her brother disappeared below her.
Goodbye Pantora, she thought bleakly. At least she succeeded in the two things they came for: to get more of her belongings, and to say goodbye to her father. It had been quicker than she ever expected, but she still got to do it.
"You be good, Yavi. Make your mother and I proud."
She smiled at the memory, then turned her sights ahead as the darkness of space came towards them.
The personal passenger ship they'd taken from Shay's brother had more room than the small fighter they'd taken to Pantora. It had a modest bunk area, a storage unit (full of Shay's brother's tools, snacks, and oiled-up clothes), as well as a full selection of freeze-dried food in case of emergency.
Poe and Shay stood together, hands on their hips in similar fashion to each other, staring at the food stores. "It's not exactly a nice dinner out, but I'd love you treat you?" he told her.
Shay laughed. "How can I say no?"
Poe reached up and selected a larger bag of something. He was already smirking as he read the back. "Okayyy, so for starters, we have Salar fish and rice." He reached up and grabbed another bag. "Ah! And here we have Rycrit Stew. A Ryloth specialty, I've heard" he joked.
Making a face, Shay shook her head.
"Right. Horrible. Let's see…" Poe rummaged into the back of the shelf and pulled out another bag and flipped it over to see the contents. What he saw brightened his face and he tapped the bag. "This is the winner."
"Hit me, then" Shay said, folding her arms over her chest.
"Corellian noodles with rancor sauce." He chewed his bottom lip while grinning. "Yeah? Good? Come on, this stuff is gourmet."
His excitement was infectious, and she began to laugh at him. "Alright, alright, whatever you want - I'm fine with."
"You will not be disappointed."
"Shall I boil the water?"
"Nope. I told you: my treat." Poe motioned toward the small bunk, then kicked a wood crate over and placed it in front. "Have a seat. I'll prepare dinner, if you prepare the drinks."
Shay nodded. "Deal."
They split up: Poe went to find the water stores and a heating source while Shay produced a few dusty bottles of ale she found in her brother's storage. She blew the dust off and wiped at the label, seeing it was the usual beer he drank back on Orto Plutonia. She wasn't much into the stuff, but it would have to do.
As she passed by the cockpit, Shay made sure they were still on course via autopilot. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) for them, her brother's ship was not equipped with a hyperdrive. As a result, their return trip time nearly tripled. However, the good news was they didn't need to go all the way back to D'Qar. The plan, formulated earlier with General Organa, was for the Resistance to intercept them in the event that the gang somehow followed them. The Resistance was already running scans and utilizing scouts on a nearby planet to try and intercept the gang. If they were successful - they would begin an airstrike.
For now, however, all Poe and Shay had to do was wait.
As Shay arrived back at the bunk area, Poe already had a small torch unit boiling water on the crate. Shay lifted the bottles up for him to see, watching as his broad smile grew further.
"You're my savior" he said with a chuckle. He took one of the bottles and snapped open the cap. "What shall we toast to?"
Shay popped the cap off her bottle and thought for a moment. "Hmmm…."
"I know." Poe's smile weakened a little, but never lost its glow in doing so. He raised his bottle and stared at Shay with great esteem. "To Verrun Pewcha, for being a stand-up guy who raised one hell of a daughter."
Shay's heart began to throb in her chest, her love for Poe growing harder and faster than ever before. "That's a toast I can get behind" she said, feeling her emotions overflowing. "To my father, then."
"To Verrun" Poe agreed.
They clinked their bottles and drank in honor of Shay's father.
"I want to thank you again" Shay told Poe. She took a seat on the cot and gathered her thoughts. "What you said before, when we left Pantora…It meant a lot. I'll be thinking about your words for a long time."
"That's good" Poe replied, sitting next to her. "What I said to your father wasn't a lie. I want to make you happy. And not just here and there or whenever it's convenient - I want to make you happy all the time."
Shay lifted a hand to his face, smiling as she gazed into his eyes. "How did I ever get so lucky?"
"You?" Poe shook his head and looked down his bottle. "No no. If anyone here is lucky, it's me."
Shay pulled him closer and felt the heat of his body as he leaned into her. He gazed at her through heavy-lidded eyes as they nuzzled noses. Shay's focus lowered to Poe's lips, parted and full and everything she needed in that moment.
As she drew his mouth to hers, Poe cupped the back of her neck, deepening the kiss. Shay loved the way he kissed her; she could never get enough of the possessive way he held her, or how he moaned deep in his throat whenever he lost himself in the kiss. It was as if he was always trying to prove his feelings for her with his mouth and his tongue in way words never could. She was addicted and Poe was her ultimate fix.
The only thing in that moment that could have separated them was their dinner boiling over - and that's precisely what happened. They both jumped at the sound of water overflowing, spilling over the crate onto the ground beneath their feet.
With a laugh, Poe sprung forward and grabbed the food as Shay threw a blanket from the cot onto the waterlogged ground.
They stood looking at one another, then burst out laughing.
Following their dinner, sleepiness overcame the duo. So much had happened in so little time that they couldn't escape their weariness forever. As a result, they moved to the cot together; Poe lying on his back with Shay in his arms. His fingers lazily played through the length of her hair as they cuddled. The feeling was soothing to the both of them, though particularly so for Shay. With the warmth of Poe's body beneath her, his arms cradling her possessively, she allowed herself to close her eyes as she rest against his chest. The rhythm of his breathing was like a lullaby, easing her eyes closed.
Every now and then they'd talk a little, but mostly they enjoyed the comfortable silence between them.
"I've been meaning to ask" Poe said, breaking the silence. "I noticed you don't have your family's yellow markings on your face."
Shay propped herself up on one elbow to see him. He was the first person to ever ask her why she didn't wear the typical Pantoran clan markings, so she didn't exactly know how to answer.
Poe mistook her hesitation as reluctance to answer. "You don't have to answer, of course..." His face turned a little worried now, but Shay's smile proved he didn't need to be.
"No, it's not that. I'm just...trying to figure out a way to phrase it without sounding like an ungrateful daughter." She facially shrugged. "I guess it's because I wanted to define myself somehow. I obviously love my family, but I always felt like I wanted to stand alone, if that makes sense?"
"You wanted to create your own future." The corner of his mouth ticked upward. "I understand that all too well."
Shay figured he would. If anyone understood her in this crazy world, Poe was becoming that person.
"Have you thought about what your markings look like?" he asked her. "You know...whenever you decide to get them?"
"I haven't." She felt guilty for her answer, but it was the truth. Once again, there was no judgement in Poe's gaze.
"Maybe the right inspiration hasn't come yet" he said.
"Perhaps you're right."
He palmed the back of Shay's head, gently easing her down onto his chest. She snuggled in close, her arm wrapping about his torso. In this simple position, Poe took nothing for granted. He felt more fulfilled holding Shay, playing with her hair, pressing his nose against her head and inhaling her sweetness, than any other manner.
That wasn't to say he couldn't get hard in five seconds flat if he needed to. Shay's body was an utter playground to him. From her perky breasts to the taught pane of her belly, down to the curve of her ass - there wasn't an inch of her that didn't turn him on. The way they were so utterly in sync during sex - more than any other in his past - it would keep Poe coming back for more. She showed him how much she needed him, wanted him, during sex, and he would answer her desire any time she wanted and then some.
But that wasn't the sort of need that Poe craved as much as the one he felt currently. When Shay reached for him in the middle of the night, he answered with his touch, letting her know he was there. When she put her arms around him there on the cot, needing his protection and wanting his comfort, he gave her that without question. Shay's desire for him was one thing, but her need for him was an altogether special thing he never wanted to take for granted. She wanted to be with him, and he wanted to be with her. He'd do anything he could to show it.
All of it brought a subtle smile to his face as he laid there, fingers tangled in her long hair and her breath on his chest. He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes, living in the moment and never wanting to leave the security he found in her.