Force Dyad
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.
A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter.
Chapter Sixty-Seven-Getting Ready
Rey had never cared much about her looks or appearance. The latest fashions didn't figure on her radar, as long her clothes were practical and comfortable to wear, she gave little thought to them.
As she looked at her meagre collection of outfits spread across her cot, she felt deflated. Her belated birthday celebration was supposed to be a special occasion, and she owned nothing that could be classed as anything but plain and functional. Defeated, she packed the clothes away and sank onto the cot in misery.
"Hey, what's with the glum face?" Rose chose that moment to walk into their shared quarters.
"Nothing." Rey mumbled, pulling her knees up to her chest and looping her arms around them.
"Doesn't look like nothing." Rose's tone gentled as she sank down on the cot beside Rey. "Want to talk about it?"
Rey glanced at her friend. She loved Rose, but the petite engineer was about as much of a fashion icon as she was. She was dressed in the regulation Resistance outfit-plain brown jumpsuit, her shoulder length silky black hair pulled back in a neat ponytail.
"You'll think I'm being stupid."
"I won't. Tell me." Rose encouraged her.
"I have nothing to wear." Rey complained.
Rose burst out laughing, earning herself an irritated glare from her friend. "I'm sorry, Rey." She apologised breathlessly. "I just never thought I would hear something like that come out of your mouth. Kaydel's definitely…but you? Why are you suddenly concerned about what's covering your skin?" She tugged on the end of Rey's grey tunic playfully.
"No reason." Rey said sulkily. She didn't like being laughed at.
Rose sighed, finally realising how much she had upset the young jedi. "I've let my mouth run away with me again. Let's start this conversation again, please?" She tagged on at the end.
"I just felt like dressing up for once. That's all. There's nothing wrong with that. Is there?" Rey grimaced as she looked at her dull grey outfit. It was something she'd scavenged and put together herself. It clung in all the right places but was hardly flattering.
"Is there a special occasion I've missed?" Rose asked coyly. "Or are you dressing up for someone special?"
"You are the worst, Rose!" Rey snapped as she pushed herself back onto her feet. "I'm dressing up for me!"
Rose quickly reached up and grabbed Rey's wrist before she marched out of their shared quarters in a huff. "You're right. I'm sorry, Rey. Again! Look, if you really want some fashion advice then the best person to ask is Kaydel. She's obsessed with clothes. She's always nagging Paige into trying something new." She grimaced. "And my loved-up sister is only too willing to be her model."
Rey's face relaxed into a smile. Kaydel Ko Konnix and Paige Tico had been coupled up for a while now. They were so adorable together-often being seen to exchange loving glances, or a gentle touch as they passed one another. When they were together it was like no one else existed. Rey could relate to that feeling. She hoped that she and Ben would be able to be as open with their love as the two young women one day.
"You think I should ask Kaydel's advice?" Rey questioned cautiously.
"Yes." Rose answered firmly. "But not when my sister's around. You won't get anything sensible out of either of them if they're in the same room together." She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "They can be so sickly sweet, they set my teeth on edge."
"Aren't you like that with Hux?" Rey teased.
"Armitage?" Rose snorted with laughter. "That boy hasn't got one romantic bone in his body. Do you know what he gave me for our six-month anniversary?"
"I have no idea."
"A magnaspanner!" Rose shook her head, smirking. "Every other girl gets flowers and he gets me something to complete my tool set."
"Oh, Rose." Rey tried to fight a smile but failed. "You know what? I think a magnaspanner is the definition of true love. It shows he was paying attention to what you wanted the most."
"True." A soft smile of affection took over Rose's face. "Armitage is an idiot. But he's my idiot." She let go of Rey's arm and pushed her toward the entrance to their quarters instead. "Now go and find Kaydel." She ordered, laughing.
"So, you want to unleash your inner goddess?" Kaydel was practically salivating at the prospect of giving Rey a makeover. "Well, girl, you've come to the right place." She guided a nervous Rey toward the long floor length polished mirror in the room she shared with Paige. "As someone famous once said - take care of your costume and your confidence will take care of itself."
"They did?" Rey asked anxiously as she stared at her shell-shocked reflection in the mirror.
"Yes…and it's a mantra I live by." Kaydel's honey coloured hair was done up in several elaborate braids, adorned with sparkling diamante. Even though she was dressed in the regulation jumpsuit like Rose, she had accessorized it with all manner of things, turning something dull and practical into something glamorous. She studied Rey critically for a moment. "I'm sure I've got something in my collection that would look great on you. It might need some slight adjusting…wait there."
Rey stared at her image in the mirror and she felt all her insecurities come rushing back to torment her. She had never considered herself beautiful, or even very pretty. There was a softness to her appearance, a kind of warmth married to a shyness that she suddenly couldn't seem to shake. Her skin was so pale, it seemed almost translucent, highlighting the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. The only remarkable thing about her face was her hazel eyes-they were the softest brown infused with green.
"Maybe this was a mistake." Rey said disconsolately when she heard Kaydel come back into the room.
"Why do you think that?" Kaydel asked gently as she came up behind Rey and rested her hands on her shoulders.
"Just look at me." Rey gestured toward her reflection in the mirror hopelessly.
"You're beautiful." Kaydel replied with such sincerity in her tone that it made Rey blush.
"I'm not." She denied.
"Of course, you are." Kaydel gushed. "You're beautiful in a way that doesn't need any enhancement. But right now, you're lacking some confidence. And that's what a new outfit can do for you…it can give you that inner confidence. So shall we carry on?"
Rey felt unexpected tears form in her eyes. She quickly nodded her head in affirmation before they had a chance to fall. Somehow Kaydel had managed to cut right to the heart of the matter without her having to say a word. "Thank you." She whispered gratefully.
"You're welcome." Kaydel replied with a bright smile. "Now what shall we do with your hair?"
Rey rarely wore her hair down. Now it hung long and loose and she felt free and relaxed, soothed by how it moved in the warm breeze as she went outside to meet Ben. The dress Kaydel had picked out for her sat upon her skin as soft petals, its hue the many pinks of a rose garden. A thin belt ran around her waist as liquid rock, the sort of grey that had was infused with the colours of brighter days, of nature and summertime.
It was a humid evening. Rey walked slowly out of the base. She reached out a hand and let her fingers trail through the ferns and broad-leafed creepers that lined her path. She stepped into a clearing, already feeling the familiar pull toward Ben, the tingling feeling in her stomach one of anticipation.
To her right, a large tree with a massive trunk reached for sunlight, spreading a canopy of branches that shaded the clearing. Leaning nonchalantly against it was Ben. As soon as she stepped into view, his expression changed from one of mild boredom, to one of incredulity. He pushed away from the tree and stood and just stared, his thirsty gaze drinking her in, like she was the sweetest melody on the eyes.
Rey stared back at him, the attraction vibrating between them like a tangible thread in the air before they had even spoken a word. Ben was dressed in black as usual. His hair moved in the light winds, the tousled black strands framing his perfect face as they moved. The light played on his pale complexion, hugging every feature, and enhancing the softness in his eyes and smile as he approached and took her face in his hands.
"You are so beautiful." He murmured. "Happy belated birthday, sweetheart."
Rey didn't have time to respond before his mouth was taking charge of hers in a heated kiss. She could feel the primal desire that was simmering just below the surface as she responded in kind. A small moan escaped her when his lips left hers and slowly travelled down her neck. The feel of his mouth on her delicate skin started a fire that no one else could ignite.
His hands, gently in her hair, hers upon his chest. They were both breathing hard when Ben nuzzled the shell of her ear. "Come on. Let's go." He murmured, reluctantly stepping back and revealing the speeder parked on the edge of the clearing.
"Where are we going?" Rey asked curiously as his hands left her hair and he wrapped his fingers around hers instead.
"You'll see." Ben's answering smile came from deep inside to light his eyes and spread into every part of him. In Rey's eyes he had never looked more handsome. With a joyous feeling in her heart, she let him pick her up and transport her over to the waiting speeder bike.
A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.