The first night after coming back to Ekair, Rey laid awake in the bed they shared of their new home. The house that Eir had given them was extraordinary; far above and beyond anything she had ever owned, least of all ever dreamed. Following the stairs upwards, it led to singular hallway, where a few rooms laid waiting. The largest of them containing a single bed large enough for two people. It was hard to sleep when everything was so new, so very much theirs; and yetthere was still the viciously adamant part of her that insisted this was only temporary, a borrowed space for the night of two weary travelers.
"Can't sleep?"
She looked up, to find Ben watching her with a soft expression. "How can I?" She answered, "Especially when everything is so unbelievable."
"This isn't temporary." He smiled, "Just think how much fun you'll have painting the walls."
When the question had been put forth on how they were going to decorate the place, Chewie had been the one with the idea. Ben went along with it, mentioning how enjoyable her drawings in her survival guide had been. Rey had agreed with the idea, as in all honesty, she enjoyed the activity and relished the chance to try it with a different medium.
She laughed softly, nuzzling into him. "Are you trying to lure me back to sleep or keep me up longer?"
He chuckled. "I suppose you have a point there." He leaned forwards, placing a kiss in her hair. "This is ours to keep and we'll never let it go."
"Both of us, together forever."
"Always, no matter what. I will always find you, sweetheart."
"I'll hold you to that." She smiled, moving up to kiss him.
/
The next morning, Rey was awoken by the smell of breakfast being cooked. She smiled, basking in the glory of what they had found, before making her way down the stairs. At the bottom she found Ben in the kitchen, standing in front of the stove. Some of what made it up was what few things they already had, while Eir had informed them the rest had been gifted by Amir, Ranulf, and Mercy.
"Having fun breaking in the kitchen already?" She said, wrapping her arms around him from behind.
"Naturally." He turned around in her hold, placing a hand on her back and leaning down so he could kiss her. "Good morning, sweetheart."
She smiled, leaning up to return the kiss. "Good morning, Ben."
Mid way through breakfast there came a small, timid nock on their door. Rey was the one to answer, to be greeted by Kira waiting on the other side.
"Hi." The small girl said, "Um, can I join you like before?"
"Of course!" Rey smiled, stepping aside to let Kira enter. "Have you eaten yet?"
"Um, sort've." Kira fidgeted, her hands twisting the hem of her shirt. "Vikki's cooking isn't as good as Mr. Ben's..." She mumbled at the end, staring at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing on the planet.
"Then why do you join us?" Ben said with a warm smile, "There's still plenty left."
"Okay!" Kira said enthusiastically, practically running over to the bar stools that sat at the kitchen island, taking a seat next to Ben, who already had a plate ready for her.
Rey followed after her, taking a seat on Kira's other side. The small girl ate with a large smile stretched across her face, and Rey had to resist the urge to stroke Kira's hair. That would have been a bit strange, right? It's wasn't as if she was their child, so why would there be such a strong feeling to hold Kira tight, and never let her go? Rey glanced over at Ben, and knew that he felt the same. Having Kira around felt right; like the missing piece of a puzzle they hadn't even realized was missing.
"So, what are you going to do now?" Kira asked, looking between them.
"Well, for right now we still need to tell Eir about what we learned."
"And then there's still Vikki's ship to finish, although that shouldn't take more than a day."
"And training me too?" Kira asked quietly.
"Of course." Ben said with a smile. "We would never forget about you."
"Yay!" Kira cheered, her whole face lighting up. "Oh! I almost forgot! I need to show you my progress!" Kira held out her hand, her face scrunching in concentration. After a moment her fork wiggled, before slowly sliding across the counter towards her. "Ta-da!" She said, stopping once the fork had reached her hand. "How is it?" She asked, looking between Rey and Ben.
"Fantastic!" Unable to resist any longer, Rey threw her arms around Kira, holding her close. "You're doing so well."
"Really? It isn't much though..."
"You really are. Some progress is better than none." Ben said, placing a hand on Kira's head.
Once breakfast was over, Eir came to visit them. "Please excuse the interruption," She said, lowering her hood as she entered, "I wanted to make you were settling in alright."
"Yes! Everything is lovely, thank you, Eir." Rey said with a smile. "Since you're here, though, I think it would be a good time to talk about what we found out."
"That would be lovely." Eir said with a smile, taking a seat on the last remaining bar stool.
"Is this about that thing Vikki was saying you had to leave to sort out? Do you need to be alone?" At Chewie's growl, she looked between the other three. "What's he saying?"
"He says he watch you for a bit." Ben said.
"Really?! That could be fun! I can show you my room!" Kira exclaimed, tugging Chewie out the door.
"How has she been while we were gone?" Ben asked, looking over at Eir once the pair was out of sight.
Eir smiled softly, her gaze lingering on where Kira had been before looking back at Rey and Ben. "She's done quite well while you were gone, although it was plain that she missed you both. It really is a wonder how far she's come since meeting the two of you. She is hardly recognizable from the girl that first arrived here."
"We really haven't done much, though." Rey said. It was simply what anyone else would have done, after all. It was just natural to take Kira in like they had; how could you not want to comfort, to help someone as precious as Kira?
"Perhaps it may seem that way to you, but to one small child it means the world." Eir shook her head, a knowing look on her face. "Even the smallest acts can have the greatest significance." It was a phrase Rey nor Ben could deny; when in reality the same could be said of them. The thing that had started bringing them closer had been simple conversations, ending with the briefest of hand touching – all leading to where they were now.
"...Yeah, I can see how that would be." Ben said as Rey nodded.
"Perfect! Well then," Eir said with an eager smile, "shall we get to the matter at hand then?"