Hey guys - sorry about the delay on this chapter. I've been so busy these last couple of weeks, I am absolutely exhausted. :P Also, I feel I should warn you that after this I probably won't be able update again until September, due to my extremely hectic travel schedule this holiday. Please don't hate me...
This week's shout-outs go to: sarahmichellegellarfan1, ArtistsChild93, Katyperry22 and Meg. Thanks for your reviews, guys! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of its characters. Only Alice is mine.
An hour later and after a lot complaining from a certain protocol droid, their small band was ready for action. Alice, Leia and Luke, along with Artoo and Threepio gathered in the shuttle bay of the starship, preparing to board the small cruiser that would carry them to Tatooine. All three of them had changed clothes, swapping their Rebel Alliance uniforms for less conspicuous outfits. Or at least, that's what Alice and Leia had done – Alice wasn't quite sure that Luke, who was dressed head to toe in black, had gotten the memo on the 'inconspicuous' part. Though irritatingly attractive, it wasn't exactly an outfit that would help him blend into the sandy expanse of Tatooine.
There was no one to say goodbye to, apart from General Rieekan, so when the three of them had given him a salute each, they simply piled on board, and settled themselves throughout the ship; Alice sat with Leia in the cockpit, and Luke disappeared into the cabin with Artoo and Threepio.
"What do you reckon?" Alice asked as she settled herself into the co-pilot seat with Leia beside her.
"We'll be fine," her friend reassured her, starting up the engines, "absolutely fine." There was a clunk and a hiss as they detached from the side of the starship and drifted away into clear space.
"If you say so," she said, settling back in her seat, "how far are we from Tatooine anyway?"
"About twenty parsecs. This shuttle is old, but it's still in better shape than the Falcon. We should make good time." Leia leaned forward and shoved a large lever forward – instantly they rocketed into light speed, the stars beyond the window blurring into burning streaks of silver.
Alice tapped her fingers idly against the arm of the chair, "So…any ideas for something that would pass the time?"
Leia raised an eyebrow, "Not a clue. You?"
"Umm…how about 'My Grandmother's Cat'?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"It was a game we used to play on long journeys," Alice said thoughtfully, "basically you go through the alphabet and you have to give the cat a name and a characteristic that starts with that letter. Like…oh, um, my grandmother's cat is an altruistic cat called Alfie."
"Really?" Leia said doubtfully, lounging back in her chair, "An altruistic cat. How unusual."
"Hey, don't question Alfie. Now, go on," she chided, "it's your turn."
"Fine, fine. My grandmother's cat is a…big cat called Bossark."
She tilted her head on one side, "Points gained for Bossark. Points quite distinctly lost for 'big'. How unimaginative can you get? Alright, my turn. My grandmother's cat is a charming cat called Clarice."
"My grandmother's cat…"
After approximately another hour of flying through space, Alice sat back in her chair, frowning. "Right, so we've done the cat game, the 'I went shopping and I bought' game, and numerous rounds of 'I Spy'. I honestly don't think I can think of anymore journey games. Oh! Hang on, what about-"
"Please," begged Leia, "no more. I don't think I can think of any more things to put into your extensive shopping bag."
Alice stared at her, mouth half-open. "Ooh. Saucy."
There was a moment of silence, then they both burst out laughing. Wiping away a tiny baby tear, Alice gave a melodramatic moan, "Argh, how much longer?"
Leia leaned forward and checked some incomprehensible screen on the dashboard with a groan, "We've got about an hour still to go."
"An hour? Ugh. We don't even have a radio. Do you think Threepio sings songs or something?"
The princess snorted with laughter, "Can you imagine?"
Alice paused to think about it, and burst out laughing, "Absolutely not."
The two of them settled back into companionable silence, and Alice felt warm and fuzzy inside when she spotted Leia stifling a sudden giggle fit five minutes later, obviously still thinking about Threepio putting on a talent show for them.
Alice swivelled back and forth gently in her chair, watching space fly by, until eventually, a question that had been on her mind since yesterday suddenly rose to the fore again. She hesitated, then plucked up her courage.
"Leia…?"
"Yes?"
"What exactly do I have to do as Jabba's…slave girl?"
Leia immediately looked uncomfortable, "I really don't-"
"I mean," Alice said jokily, trying to relax and only succeeding in agitating herself more, "I don't have to…it'll just be like feeding him stuff, or fanning him, right?"
"I'm…I'm not sure," Leia said, though Alice noticed she was focusing very hard on the instruments in front of her suddenly, even though they weren't due to arrive for an hour, "honestly, I don't know much about what goes on in that place…"
Alice gulped, "Oh. Okay. Well, I guess I'll find out."
The silence this time was far less pleasant – it was thick and heavy, almost stifling. "Hey, I'm gonna get some sleep," she said, bundling herself up in the leather jacket she'd chosen as part of her ensemble. It was the same one Ben had given her on Tatooine all that time ago, miraculously recovered from the depths of Leia's wardrobe, where it had been kept ever since they'd left Yavin Four for Hoth. The worn leather was soft and surprisingly cosy. "You did say I could after all, and goodness knows when I'll next get the chance. This life is very unpredictable, you know."
"Yes," Leia said, trying to smile and failing, "of course."
"Night, then," Alice said, automatically, "or not, really, I guess. Have I mentioned before that I find space very confusing?"
Leia did laugh that time, and when Alice closed her eyes for her nap, she'd almost managed to put Jabba the Hutt completely out of her mind. Almost.
She was in a dark shadowy room, strapped to a chair. The restraints were metal, cold and hard and painfully tight, and above her, there was some kind of machine – she could hear it whirring and see frighteningly sharp pieces of metal flashing occasionally as they caught the light. She felt sick to her stomach with fear, fear which became all-out panic at the sound of a long, hissing breath. There was a click, and a puff of static. And then it came again. And again.
Alice could feel tears slipping silently down her cheeks, but she couldn't move, no matter how much she tried, couldn't turn and face Vader, even as she heard him moving up behind her, and felt his hand closing tight about her throat-
With a gasp, she snapped awake, and for a long second, a second that seemed to last at least three minutes, she couldn't figure out where she was. Then memory and sense returned, and she glanced to her right, expecting to find Leia, a good old self-deprecating comment already forming on her tongue to dispel the embarrassment of being caught mid-nightmare…only to find Luke there instead, halfway out of his seat and reaching out to hold her hand.
He froze like a deer in headlights, and Alice froze like the startled driver staring down the deer, and as much as she'd wanted to see Leia a second ago, she could now only pray fervently that she would not walk in.
Then Luke, with a degree of dignity that she couldn't help but admire, retracted his hand. Alice squashed the instinctive disappointment, and relaxed a little, letting herself feel how fast her heart was racing and beginning to work on slowing it down, "Sorry about that."
"Are you alright?" He was still leaning forward in his seat, his eyes trained on her face. Great, now she would blush for sure.
"M'fine," Alice replied, shrugging one shoulder, "just a nightmare. Not a big deal."
Luke's mouth twisted, instantly rousing Alice's suspicions. He looked like he was hedging his bets, or calculating risk, or some maths related activity of the sort; like he was deciding what to do.
"…Leia told me you've been having nightmares a lot recently."
Alice narrowed her eyes. That snitch.
"Yeah, well. Sorry, I didn't think she was going to tell on me-"
"She said you dream about Vader."
…Really, Leia?
"Alice."
"Sometimes. I'm sort of getting used to it."
"Getting used to it?" Luke's sudden disbelief was like a slap in the face, and at the same time, oddly comforting.
So you do still care about me.
"How long?"
"How long what?"
"How long have you been having these dreams?"
Alice shuffled uncomfortably, stopping just short of letting out a whine, "Um, I don't know. Since Cloud City, I guess."
Luke was very still, and Alice got the impression that he was trying very hard to maintain that 'calm Jedi master' act he'd gotten so good at recently, "For three months?"
"Like I said, they're not that bad. Really, I'm fine, you don't have to worry-"
"I felt what you were feeling in that dream, Alice, I know it's not fine."
"Alright," she burst out, "so the dreams are awful! But honestly, once I'm awake, everything's okay. I'm just…me. Same as always. Same as…before." Luke shook his head, and Alice sighed, "What is it? Luke?"
He muttered something, so low that it took a moment or two for her to work it out: "I wish you'd told me."
Luke, you're cute, but that's got to be a joke.
"Yeah, well," she mumbled, settling back into her chair, "I don't know if you've noticed but we haven't exactly been best buddiesrecently."
Luke stiffened. In fact, he went so still that when Leia walked in .25 seconds later, Alice might as well have been sharing the cabin with a statue.
"Are you two…?" Leia trailed off, her eyes flashing between Alice and Luke with a look that was half-disappointed, half-guilty. Alice suspected that Leia might very well have orchestrated this little catch-up between her and Luke, perhaps hoping that confined space and long silences might force them to settle their differences. Obviously, from the way she was looking at them, she could see that it hadn't worked.
Sorry, guess you forgot to factor in the casual night terrors, Alice thought grumpily.
The console beeped, and Leia made a soft, slightly relieved noise in the back of her throat, "Finally, we're here. Tatooine."
Seeing a perfect excuse to get out of the cockpit and away from Luke, Alice hopped to her feet, "I'll get out of your way then."
Leia cast her a slightly exasperated look as she slid into the co-pilot's seat next to Luke – though, Alice was gratified to note, not too exasperated. Obviously the princess could tell she was in no position to be lecturing right now.
Alice made her way through the ship and found Artoo waiting for her at landing ramp, rolling backwards and forwards on his little wheels eagerly.
"Ready to go, huh, little guy? Too long in space, am I right?"
Artoo beeped, and she smiled. Being strangled to death by the cybernetic remains of Luke's dad couldn't terrify her in quite the same way with a cheerful astromech droid to keep her company.
Alice deliberately kept Leia in between Luke and herself as they pushed their way through throngs of aliens in awkward silence. It was odd to consider that what had been so weird the first time she was here was now so commonplace – she strode past a group of fish-like beings, holding parasols over their heads to shield themselves from the bright sunshine without blinking an eye. Weird…I've acclimatised.
"We're here," Luke said, glancing over at them. Alice looked up as he spoke and for a moment their eyes met…then she turned her face away, blushing. Just act natural, Alice.
Trying not to notice that she could still feel Luke looking at her, she studied their destination, and blinked in surprise. "Hey! But, this is…"
"I know," said Luke, his voice distinctly dark.
It was the same tavern where they'd first met Han and Chewie, after Luke's aunt and uncle had been killed. Wow…flashbacks. It felt like a lifetime ago now.
Alice thought wistfully of Han, then shook herself. He's here, and we're going to get him back.
Leia looked curiously between the two of them, but for once Alice didn't feel up to explaining the situation to her. Luke didn't say anything either, apart from, "Come on."
He strode off, Alice and Leia following more slowly behind. Inside, it was just as smoky, dirty and generally unpleasant as Alice remembered. They picked their way between patrons to the very back of the bar; and there they found some old friends.
"Well, well," Lando said, getting up from his seat, "fancy seeing you here."
Chewie purred loudly, and Alice grinned. "What are the odds, right?"
Lando winked at her and beckoned her over, "Sit down, my dear."
"Thank you," she said, wriggling into the booth and planting a light kiss on his cheek as he sat down, "good to see you again."
"And you," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and giving her a brief squeeze.
Chewie whined, and Alice laughed, "Don't worry, I was getting to you."
While Lando kissed Leia's knuckles and Luke clapped him on the shoulder, Alice hugged Chewie, "Hello, darling."
Their greetings exchanged, they all turned in to face each other, while around them the other patrons of the bar squawked and drank and growled. "You could have picked a better spot, Calrissian," Alice said, wrinkling her nose a little at the smell of the place.
He snorted, "This is the best Tatooine has to offer."
"Mmm," Alice said, raising her eyebrows, "don't I know it."
"Right," he said, turning to the others, suddenly business-like, "I've been giving some thought to Alice's plan, and I'm pretty sure it'll work. It'll be easy enough for me to bring in Alice as a slave girl – Jabba gets through them pretty fast – and I can just say I bought you as a gift for him. All we'll need to do is get you some clothes to fit the part."
Alice wrinkled her nose, "Why? Is it not plausible that I was abducted in these clothes?"
"Of course," Leia said, "but we don't want anyone asking questions, like where Lando found you and how he managed to kidnap you. It'll be less suspicious if people think he bought a girl who was already a slave."
"That…makes sense. Fine."
"Once we're in, all you have to do is lie low and keep an eye out for my signal. I'll let all of you know when we're making the move on Han, we'll meet, get him out of stasis, sneak him out and meet up with you guys at your ship. Job done."
"And the sneaking him out part?" Leia asked, eyebrows raised.
"I've got it covered," Lando said, with a dismissive wave of his hand, "don't worry."
Alice shrugged, "Sounds easy enough."
"Alice, you really don't have to do this," Leia said, tentatively, wary of stirring up a storm.
"I'll be fine," she insisted, "Lando's got it sorted, right Lando?"
The others didn't look convinced.
Lando leaned forward, "Well, hopefully it all goes smoothly and Alice and I can get Han out without causing any trouble. But it would be worth having contingencies in place, just in case. As I've mentioned, Jabba likes new bounty hunters, and the bounty that currently sits on our furry friend's head is twenty-five thousand credits. Almost enough to be worth taking the trouble to capture a wookiee."
Chewie growled loudly in affirmation of this fact.
"So Leia, Luke, either one of you could get in with Chewie as your prisoner if you need to. Though of course that means we've got one more person to break out, which wouldn't exactly make things easier, so we should avoid that if we can. If we're caught, there's a chance that Jabba will just feed us to one of his pet beasts at his palace, but I've also heard that he likes to execute people he particularly hates at the Pit of Carkoon, in the middle of the Dune Sea. He likes to take his prisoners out there and watch from his sail barge while whichever unlucky bastard it is that's upset him is fed to the Saarlac."
"Well," Alice said, her bravado failing a bit, "that sounds…pleasant."
"Right…" Luke frowned thoughtfully, "Lando, you'll be able to keep us up to date on what's going on?"
"Yes, guards have much more freedom to come and go than the slave girls, so I should be able to alert you to any major problems."
"Okay," Alice said, glancing around, "so…that's the plan. Emergency strategies and all."
"Leia," Lando said, turning to her, "anything to add?"
"No," Leia said, with a look of steely determination, "the sooner we get Han out the better."
"Hang on," Luke interrupted, holding up a hand, "before we do anything, I have a…personal errand to run."
"You do?" Leia, Lando and Alice chorused, with a curious growl from Chewbacca.
"Yes," he said, glancing briefly at Alice, his expression unreadable, "It shouldn't take long. I'll be back by the evening."
"Where are you going?" Alice asked, concerned by the distinct and obvious blankness on his face.
Luke looked down, the stiff line of his shoulders speaking to his discomfort, "My aunt and uncle's house."
What? Alice stared at him, surprised in the extreme that he would want to go back. He said when we left Tatooine that there was nothing here for him. Why drag up old memories? Luke met her gaze for a split second, and insight came to her suddenly: Vader. He wants to remember the place he grew up and the people who raised him. His real family.
"Well, alright," Lando said, exchanging a shrug with Leia, "Leia and I can start on finding a disguise for Alice, I guess."
"Alright," Luke said, his cloak swishing around him as he got to his feet, "I'll meet you back at the transport."
Alice, silently battling concern and pride, almost let him go. Then before she could stop herself, she called him back, "Wait?"
Luke paused, and a hushed silence fell around the table.
"I'll come with you."
The tension doubled as instantaneously as if she'd thrown a switch. Alice stared breathlessly at Luke, expecting him to reject her completely, and honestly, half-hoping he would.
Then Luke said, "Fine."
"Really?" Alice said, so shocked that her voice squeaked embarrassingly on the second syllable.
"Really," said Luke, though his expression was a little bit doubtful, as if he wasn't quite sure of his own decision.
"Cool," she said, trying not to look too keen.
"We'll see you later then," Leia said, looking a little bit puzzled, but hopeful too, "be careful. Don't do anything reckless, or anything that'll draw attention to yourself."
"Okay," said Alice, jumping to her feet and planting a quick kiss on Leia's cheek, "we promise. Bye!"
Lando raised his hand in a wave, Chewie growled, and Leia frowned distantly as Alice trotted off after Luke.
She trailed behind him most of the way through the bar, but once they'd reached the door they sort of had to walk side by side. Alice cleared her throat awkwardly as they stepped out into the bright Tatooine sunshine, "So, how are we going to get there? To the house, I mean."
He lifted his arm and pointed to one of the sandstone buildings, which had a large number of rusty looking speeders sitting outside, "We'll rent a speeder or a sand bike."
"You have money?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.
He nodded and led her over to the shop.
After a brief period of intense negotiation with an extremely sour-faced salesman, Alice and Luke managed to rent a speeder/flying bike thing at a not too ridiculous rate.
And that was all fine and dandy, until Alice realised the problem associated with two people sharing a single bike. Limited space and lack of seatbelts meant physical contact was more or less unavoidable. Oh…well…this could be awkward…
"Ready?" Luke asked, seeing her hesitate, and raising an inquiring eyebrow.
"Yup," she said, with a nervous laugh, "absolutely. Completely ready to go. Let's…rock and roll."
He swung himself onto the bike, then held out his hand to her. Alice noticed that he was suddenly doing that 'keeping his expression completely blank and unreadable' thing again. She hated that. Her stomach twisting with butterflies, she very gingerly placed her hand in his and pulled herself into position behind him.
"Hold on to me," Luke said, when she was settled, his tone as undecipherable as his face. This is so awkward.
Very lightly, she rested her hands on his shoulders, then said, uncomfortably, "Okay. Let's go."
Luke turned around, and gave her an exasperated look, "You're going to fall off if you don't hold on properly. Here." He took her hands and wrapped them firmly around his waist, pulling her forward a little so her cheek bumped his shoulder.
Pretty sure that her entire body was blushing now, Alice couldn't help but think that this time three months ago, this moment would have been simultaneously completely natural and totally wonderful – now it was only a painful reminder of what had happened between them. She cleared her throat, "Okay. Cool."
Without another word, Luke revved the engine and off they went.
Oh god, this is uncomfortable.
They skimmed between sand-dunes, always keeping the two suns on their left, until, eventually Luke veered off the more or less straight course they'd been following and began to slow down. Alice lifted one hand from around Luke's waist to shield her eyes from the sun and saw they had come to a halt before the blackened ruins of an igloo-style house, built of smoke-stained white stone. Luke shut off the engines and slid off the bike, holding his hand out to Alice to help her down. She dropped to the ground and glanced up at his face.
His expression was distant, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the house before them. He didn't say anything, simply walked forwards, with Alice tagging along behind him.
As he made his way towards the steps into the house, Alice held out a hand to stop him, worried, "Be careful. You don't know what's inside."
Luke shook his head, "I sense nothing."
Alice blinked, "Right…sorry."
His eyes softened slightly, but he didn't say anything other than, "Come on."
Alice's concern turned out to be, as Luke had said, unfounded; there was nothing living inside the old house, not even the plants in the pots that still sat in bizarrely neat rows on the wall looking out onto the small, sunlit courtyard. The walls were scorched inside as well as out, and there were several deep lines gouged into the stone. Alice ran her free hand along the smooth track of one of these, and said grimly, "Laser blasts."
Luke nodded silently. She gazed around the deserted rooms, her mouth curling down at the corners at the empty feel of the house – she could only imagine how Luke must be feeling.
She shifted her weight, and something made a clinking noise as her foot brushed it. Crouching down, she picked up a fragment of pottery that had clearly once been part of a bowl. It was beautifully painted with pictures of suns and large buffalo-like creatures travelling endlessly beneath them. She was surprised at the artistry – it reminded her strongly of Earth when pretty much all she'd seen so far in this galaxy were cramped transports and clinical control rooms.
Luke's hand closed over the shard of clay and pulled it gently away from her. She watched him tentatively as he studied it, "This was part of my Aunt Beru's favourite bowl."
Unable to think of anything to say, Alice reached out and rested her hand gently on his arm, ready to move it away at a moment's notice. "Luke, I'm sorry. For…you know. Everything."
"Me too," he replied quietly, his eyes still trained on the pottery. He made no move to shrug her off. "I know that after Ben died, things became…complicated."
"I should have told you that I knew," she said, wracked with guilt, "it wasn't my secret to keep."
Finally he looked up, and shook his head, "There's no point worrying about the past. I know now, and I know that your intentions were good." He paused, "Alice, is there any way I can convince you not to go into Jabba's palace with Lando tomorrow?"
"I'm sorry, Luke. No."
He nodded once, unsurprised, his gaze roaming the walls of the ruined house, "It's strange being back here. Do you remember the day we met?"
She laughed shakily, "Trust me, Luke, it's not a day I'm ever likely to forget."
He gave her a funny look, one that was soft and somehow pained at the same time, "Me neither. Alice, I just…" He drew a deep breath, and for a second, she saw how much it was costing him to maintain this façade of emotional detachment and control, "I worry that if something happens, I won't be able to help you. Like I wasn't able to help my aunt and uncle."
Ouch. Alice shook her head at him, more than a little exasperated, "Oh, Luke…you can't possibly protect me from everything. It's a big, freaking confusing mess of a galaxy. And we're in the middle of a war. A war in which I have participated, even if it was only by accident, by the way. Who's to say I won't come out of this totally fine, only to…trip on a rock and hit my head and die?"
Luke's eyes widened, and he gave a short, startled laugh, "Well, that's just tempting fate."
Flushed with victory at making him laugh with her, she put on her best impression of Ben, which wasn't particularly impressive "Ah, well, if the Force wills it, so it shall be. Or something like that."
"That reminds me," he said, cocking his head on one side, "there's something else I wanted to talk to you about."
"Mm?"
"After we rescue Han, there's something I have to do. I have to go to the Dagobah system; there's an old friend I need to see."
Surprised by the change of topic, she raised her eyebrows, "Okay…?"
"I want you to come with me."
Alice blinked, "What? How come?"
"You hear Ben sometimes, don't you?" He sounded serious again now. Alice wanted to stick out her tongue.
Boo to serious. Let's just be friends and make bad jokes and laugh.
"How do you-? I mean…yeah. How do you know that?"
"Because I can too," he said.
"Alright, then. Care to share why that is?"
"When you hear Ben speaking to you, you're communicating with fragments of his personality that didn't fully return to the Force when he died. It's called a Force ghost, and only those who are attuned to the Force would be able to hear and talk with him."
She frowned, "So, that means…what exactly?"
"Alice, I think you're Force sensitive."
A laugh burst out of her before she could stop it, "Don't be stupid."
Luke's cheeks flushed, and Alice realised her mistake.
Crap, just when things were getting good again…
Embarrassed, she looked away, shaking her head, "Sorry, it's just…I can't be. The Force doesn't…" She trailed off, wanting to say that the Force didn't even exist where she came from – how could she possibly have an affinity for a fictional cosmic power? Frustrated, she folded her arms and said briskly, "It's impossible. And even…even if it were, Ben would have told me."
Luke's jaw clenched, and she realised the irony of what she'd just said. She also realised how badly she didn't want to be fighting with Luke anymore. Unfortunately, it looked like she'd mucked up any chance of reconciliation before she went off to be a slave girl to a crime boss, because she was completely incapable of expressing herself properly when it came to this boy.
When he spoke again, Luke's voice was devastatingly calm, "I believe that Ben might have had reasons for keeping his knowledge of your abilities to himself. As long as you remained unaware of your connection to the Force and untrained in its use, you would avoid making yourself a target for the Empire."
Alice shook her head, disbelieving, "And Vader? He interrogated me, surely he would've figured it out if I were…you know. But he barely said anything about the Force to me."
It was obvious from the speed of Luke's response that he'd thought of that too, and Alice wondered indignantly how long this had been on his mind, "Lando told me that Vader had agreed to leave you and Leia on Cloud City, but after interviewing you, he changed his mind. The Empire is under orders to hunt down all Force sensitives, either to try and convert them into Imperial spies and assassins, or to kill them. Why did Vader change his mind, if not because he realised you were Force sensitive?"
Leia and I were already useful as bait to catch Luke. How much more useful we'd be as weapons against him. He'd never be able to fight people he cared about. The thought came to her suddenly, seemingly from outside herself, and Alice half-wondered if perhaps Ben had supplied it; the flash of epiphany was stronger than any she'd ever experienced before.
Suddenly cross with herself, and not wanting to think about Ben – or Vader – anymore, Alice threw up her hands, "For goodness' sake, Luke, he changed his mind because he realised he had the leader of the whole damn rebellion right in his leathery clutches! Come on, the only reason I'm of any importance to anyone is because of my connection to you and Leia."
The wind whistled hollowly around the deserted building, wrapping them in an uncomfortably desolate hush. She didn't want to look at his face, in case she saw pity there.
"All I know is that you've heard Ben, and as far as I can tell, only someone Force sensitive would be able to. If you come with me, maybe my master will be able to explain it in greater depth."
"Fine," she said, giving up in exasperation, "whatever." Satisfied with her consent, he turned away from her, and Alice hesitated, instantly wracked with guilt for being childish, "Luke," she said tentatively, "I'm-"
But he cut her off, striding away towards the staircase, "Well…I guess we're done here." She stood alone in the centre of the courtyard, her eyes fixed on the sand, embarrassed, lonely, and dreading what would undoubtedly be an extremely uncomfortable ride back.
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