AN: Thanks for reading and reviewing as always!

"Dyad's Blessing, Dyad's Curse"

Chapter 34

"It's good to meet you, Representative Saress," said Poe, shaking the firm, boney hand of the Corellian representative. Lavinia Saress had a mane of thick silver hair and a stern face that eyed him with skepticism, communicating that she remembered when a Republic fell and then an Empire fell and then another Republic fell and she was getting tired of the cycle.

"Mmm-hmm," she said, her sharp eyes looking downward as if judging Poe's character by his handshake skills.

"We're honored that Han Solo's home planet is considering joining us," Poe said as he released her hand, hoping he wasn't sweating, wishing Chancellor Naberrie weren't currently busy with another representative. The stateroom with the arched ceiling currently contained at least twenty representatives, all from different planets – which was good, Poe knew that – but his talents lay more in the flying-X-Wings-into-battle direction than the convince-people-that-their-new-government-wouldn't-destroy-itself direction.

"Han Solo's home planet," Saress replied with a bit of a snort. "With how much people talk about it, you'd think our planet's only achievement was giving birth to a smuggler who happened to be in the right place at the right time when a Jedi needed a lift. Do you have any idea how many memorial services people who never even knew him held when word reached Corellia that he'd been murdered?"

"I'm sorry," said Poe, shifting his eyes around, wishing Pooja or Lando or Chewie or someone would come to his aid. "I didn't mean to imply . . ."

"Well I actually met him years ago," Saress continued with no regard for his apology. "He had no manners and was about as at home at senatorial events as a gooberfish on Geonosis." She let out a sigh. "But still, he managed to convince his wife to help lift our planet out of poverty, so I suppose having birthed a war hero has its benefits."

"Good," said Poe. "So you'll consider joining our new . . . er, newer Republic?"

"We'll see," said the representative, her narrow eyes and twisting mouth reminding Poe of Zorii when she was pondering whether or not to take a not-quite-legal job. "For now, I have a few questions."

"All right," said Poe, smiling at her and hoping his smile looked natural. "What would you like to ask?"

"First of all, Han Solo's killer, Kylo Ren." Her eyes narrowed further until they looked like slits. "I understand you have him in custody?"

. . .

Rey let herself relax a little as the group entered the nightclub. It actually reminded her a bit of Maz's palace on Takodana – an open, round area with a band playing on the center dais, people of various species dancing around the band, and restaurant booths outlining the room against the walls. The Toydarian lead singer of the band hovered at the microphone, her wings flapping almost in beat to the music as she sang a song about being powerless over who you fell in love with.

"So," said Rose, "food first, then dancing?"

"Sounds good to me," said Finn.

The four took seats at a booth, Rose and Jannah on one side and Finn and Rey on the other, Rey next to the window. The sun was nearly down now, giving a cooling gray tone to the skylanes where the speeders were beginning to turn on their lights and the buildings were beginning to come alive with color and light.

"This is nice," said Rose, stretching her arms over her head, bringing prominence to the crescent pendant she wore even when trying to have fun. "I haven't been to a recreational place of any kind since, well, since Canto Bight."

Jannah gave her an understanding smile. "Well rest assured that this place doesn't have any abused animals or child slaves, though I still wish I could have been there to see you and Finn tear that casino a new one."

"Well it was interesting, to say the least," said Finn.

Rey wanted to jump into the conversation, but she couldn't think of anything to say – not just because she hadn't gone to Canto Bight, but also because her thoughts were once again drifting to Ben, wondering if he knew about Canto Bight and other places like it that used children for labor.

Then again, he had known about the stormtrooper program kidnapping babies and grooming them to be willing slaves and he hadn't done anything about it. She gulped, glancing at Finn and Jannah, only two of the possibly millions of lives the First Order had stolen.

They needed to get that stormtrooper reunion program funded.

By the time the waiter droid arrived to take their orders, the conversation had shifted to the man DJ who had helped Finn and Rose and then betrayed them. Rose suspected that the First Order had killed him after paying him, while Finn wondered if he was still out there somewhere. Though Rey had never met him, she couldn't help but wonder what had led him to a life of complete amorality.

Maybe she really was spending too much time with Ben.

. . .

Dinner and dessert were spent in relaxed conversation, though Rey listened more than she talked. Occasionally she found herself looking around for Ben, but she managed to catch herself before anyone could ask questions. No one was going to worry about dyads tonight.

Right?

Now she was alone at the booth – Rose and Jannah were off dancing and Finn had gone to the refresher. She was still making her way through her rather rich shoberry cream cake, savoring every sweet, fruity bite.

Until the twitch in her senses made her drop her spoon, which landed with a loud ping on her plate.

Ben appeared to be sitting right across from her, his hospital gown dramatically contrasting with the fancy outfits everyone else wore here. She was tempted to grin at the sight, but she restrained herself due to the waves of discomfort flowing from him.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked wryly.

"Does the Force ever care about that?" Rey said with a tiny sigh.

He tilted his head, taking notice of her uncharacteristic dress. "You look nice. Where are you?"

Rey sighed again. "Believe it or not, we were actually having a night out."

"A night out," Ben mused. "I don't think I've had one of those since I was . . . twelve, maybe. It's not the sort of thing that either the Jedi or the Knights of Ren are supposed to enjoy." His eyes lowered. "I'm being released from the hospital tomorrow, which means . . ."

With only a bit of hesitation, Rey found herself pushing what was left of her dessert in his direction. "Here. It's no release from prison, but it might help a little."

"Are you sure?" Ben asked.

"Yes," said Rey, remembering how Finn had given her part of his sandwich earlier that day. "Just give me back the plate and spoon when you're done so we're not stealing from the nightclub."

"Well . . . thank you, then." Ben started digging into the cake as if he couldn't hold back the promise of a sugary treat any longer and Rey felt something that resembled happiness flowing from him.

"Hey Rey, you wanna dance?"

Rey looked up, seeing that Finn was back, smiling at her and offering his hand. She glanced at Ben, who was still making his way though the rest of her cake. "I . . . I would like to dance, but . . ."

Finn glanced at the seat that was undoubtedly empty to his eyes, but he instantly understood what was going on. "He's here? Now?"

"Well, I did say this could happen!"

"So you can't leave the booth until he disappears or what?"

"Are you talking to the stormtrooper?" Ben asked.

"His name is Finn and yes," said Rey. "He just asked me to dance."

The ghost of a frown crossed Ben's lips, but he took control of it. "Then go ahead and dance with him."

Rey's lungs tightened. "I – we – will get sick if I get too far away."

Finn looked like he wished he could yank the dyad apart with his bare hands. "Well . . . what if we don't get too far away from the booth?"

Rey swallowed. "I . . . guess we could try that."

Ben had gone back to paying attention to the cake, as if he were determined to ignore what would to him look like Rey dancing alone in his hospital room. A bizarre image to be sure, but Rey couldn't help but wonder if there was another reason that Ben wanted to ignore her dancing.

She took Finn's hand and let him lead her to the dance floor, making sure Ben was still in her field of vision. The band was now playing a fast-paced, upbeat song that seemed to invite everyone who wasn't currently eating to dance regardless of whether or not they could keep in time with the rhythm. As the singer belted out lyrics that might have been about the mortal condition or might have simply been about sex, Rey and Finn both got swept up into the music, jumping, waving their arms, shuffling back and forth.

Soon Finn was laughing and to Rey's surprise, she was too, though she was periodically glancing back at that booth, ensuring that she hadn't gotten too far away from it.

Until she saw that the booth was empty.

For a moment she thought they'd disconnected, but then a tap on her shoulder told her otherwise. She whirled around and there was Ben, appearing to stand in the middle of the dance floor in his hospital gown and bare feet, handing her the now-empty plate and spoon.

But she didn't take them right away. Instead she closed her eyes as her body still swayed to the music, concentrating on the rhythm, then let out an exhale, allowing her mind to connect with Ben's.

When she opened her eyes, and finally took the plate and spoon, there was a bewildered expression on Ben's face, but neither of them could overlook how his feet were slightly tapping.

He heard the music from her mind.