For now I am winter
it now belongs to you
my soul
shivering,
in this abrupt transition;
embrace me real tight.
Olafur Arnalds, For now I am winter.
She dares not to use that damn blade again. She is almost tempted to leave it there – to the Masters, to the wild-life, or whatever else, but she fears it would somehow make that dark nexus even stronger, so she leaves it with her. She finds the same path she came in through and it's already partially overgrown with vines and young branches.
Damn, strange and deranged place, she thinks and shudders.
He fights to stay on his feet, but is completely broken.
He went in too deep and stayed for too long.
But she won't pursue it any longer. It's a strain on her as much as it is to him. She remember the dark cave on Ahch-to: this one, for whatever reasons, feels far more brutal and menacing from the very beginning. She just wants to leave.
They reach TIE silencer at the crack of dawn. It is little short of a miracle that no predator comes their way to exploit their weakness.
"Ben", she places him on the ground so he may recline against the cold surface of a rock. "Ben, can you hear me"?
He nods. Embarrassment sets in through the exhaustion – there are bits and pieces of gall and undigested food on his chest.
Rey uses the dew to clean it up and quickly gathers leaves from a nearby bush for him to drink. He does so, greedily. In the end, he is only a man. Dehydration, weariness, confusion, fear, loneliness… he is not immune to those. Sometimes it's hard to remember that for both of them.
Rey collapses backwards and shudders. She could really use that cape right now.
"I'm sorry", he eventually says, voice hoarse.
She shakes her head.
The only important thing is that you're alive. We'll talk later.
"Can you help me navigate the ship"?
He nods, and asks nothing.
"Good", Rey retorts. "Let's get out of here. We're going to Utapau. Rebels will wait for us there".