Later that evening, when everyone had headed to the tiny guest houses scattered around the main house, only Leia, Rey, Finn, and Poe remained in the living area, relaxing upon the spacious couches. Rey had been explaining to them how she'd been working her telekinesis abilities with Luke, even demonstrating her new skills by transferring various books and small items around to the different shelves in the room. They clapped and smiled, but Rey couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed in herself that she hadn't progressed much further in her telekinesis skills in the past year.

"Those are some neat tricks you've got there, Rey," Poe remarked. "Maybe you can teach me sometime," he said, winking.

"Poe Dameron, if only you had a connection with the Force," Leia said. "I'm convinced you could save us all." She chuckled, and Poe revealed an award-winning smile. A look of subtle annoyance crossed Finn's features.

Rey was surprised; she hadn't heard Leia laugh since Han's death. His murder, she corrected herself.

Perhaps Leia herself had realized this, too, for her face returned to its usual solemn state. "It's times like this that…" she began, her voice fading.

"What is it?" Rey asked softly, searching Leia's eyes.

Leia merely shook her head. "I feel a presence in the Force, as I mentioned before...I do believe that Ben is still alive, but...somewhere far from here. I feel…" she sighed heavily. "Call me crazy, but I wish I could reach out to him in some way...I need to. Just to see that he is alive," she said. Poe frowned, but Finn and Rey gave her looks of sympathetic encouragement. "As a mother, I cannot rest, cannot live without knowing the state of my son." She turned to Poe and Finn. "It would mean the world to me if you two could somehow do this bidding. If you even just caught word of him...All I want is to know whether my son is alive."

Poe slowly stood, then came and knelt before her. Finn momentarily did the same. "General Leia Organa, it would be my undying honor to fulfill such a task," Poe declared.

"And mine as well," Finn said. "We will find him." From the tone of his voice, it didn't sound like he actually believed what he said.

"What about me?" Rey asked, standing. "I'm coming too."

"Rey, you need to stay with Luke and complete your training. Besides, it's not safe for you out there, now that you are a known user of the Force. This is important."

"But I've already learned so much, and besides, this trip probably wouldn't take long. We just need to find a source who has had recent connection with your son."

"Uh, I'm not so sure I'd call this a 'trip,'" Finn said, standing, mimicking quotations marks with his fingers. "This isn't a vacation."

"I think it is too dangerous for you to go," Leia said, sighing. "Though they have learned in different ways, both Poe and Finn have had extensive combative training, should the need arise."

"I understand the point you make, General Leia, but I am willing to face these risks. With all do respect, I must go. Poe and Finn are my closest friends, it would feel wrong to me to not be at their sides. Besides," she said, shrugging, "I haven't left this planet for over half a year. I'm really needing a change in scenery, even a brief one."

Leia watched her, considering for a few silent moment. Her shoulders noticeably slumped as she released a long breath. "Alright," she said, eyeing Poe and Finn. "But you two better make sure you bring this girl back to me, she's special to me," Leia said. Poe and Finn nodded, exchanging glances. Leia laughed again. "Along with yourselves, of course."

Leia stood, smoothing the legs of her pants. She looked exhausted. "I'd better be off to bed, I need to get up early tomorrow if I'm to start making preparations for this mission."

"Wait," Rey said. "Do you have any ideas yet of where we should start?"

Leia cracked a half-smile, her mind drifting somewhere else momentarily. "Han always did have connections far and wide, but even his were not as extensive as are Maz Kenata's."

...

Rey, Finn, and Poe spent the next day catching up with one another, and Rey talked excitedly about finally leaving the planet the next day. Later in the afternoon, after a large lunch shared with everyone, Luke suggested that the three go for a walk through the thick woods that surrounded the houses. Rey knew this just an indirect way to tell her to leave the house so Luke and Leia could discuss her leaving the planet for a time.

Walking through the bright green and yellow trees, Rey led Finn and Poe along a faint path that she had forged through the foliage to a waterfall she'd found shortly after Luke had taken her to the planet, when she'd first explored the natural area around their little clearing.

"Did you remember your swim trunks, Poe?" Rey asked over her shoulder. Finn was already wearing his, paired with a plain t-shirt.

"Of course!" Poe exclaimed. "I love swimming."

"Rey? Is it, uh, shallow?" Finn asked. "Like, can I stand in the water? I never exactly learned how to swim, being on an ice planet most of my life," he said, referring to his previous home of Starkiller base.

Rey laughed. "Yes, there are parts of it where you can stand. And parts where you can swim," she said, turning over her shoulder to smile at Poe, who winked at her.

The sound of rushing water alerted them that they neared the clearing. As they curved through a thick lining of trees and plants, they came upon a large, glistening pond with a tall but waterfall as its backdrop.

"This is beautiful," Poe said, dropping his sack to the ground and pulling out his swim trunks. "I'm going into the bushes to change, no one peek," he chimed, heading back into the foliage.

Finn removed his shirt, facing away from Rey, and she saw the deep scar along his spine that stretched all the way across his muscular back. Finn stepped tentatively into the water, then jumped suddenly back. "It's cold!" He exclaimed, and Rey laughed.

"It's not heated, silly! It's a natural spring," She said, and began removing her own clothes, exposing her simple bikini beneath. Poe suddenly emerged from the buses, posing in a runner's lunge in his neon-orange trunks.

"Last one in's a rotten-" He began, but cut himself off as he turned to look at Rey. She scrunched her face as she noticed both Poe and Finn were looking at her intently, and she suddenly felt self-conscious.

"Ready, go!" Rey called. She decided to ignore the two's strange stares and she ran to the edge of the pool, jumping off of a rock and diving into the cool, refreshing water.

As she came up for air, she heard a splash beside her as Poe jumped in next. Rey wiped her face and turned around, seeing Finn only ankle-deep in the water. "C'mon, Finn!" She called encouragingly.

"Yeah, c'mon, buddy!" Poe yelled. "No sharks or anything in here!"

"What's a shark?" Finn asked confusedly. Rey didn't know either. Poe merely waved his hand in the air, motioning for Finn to join them. "The water's nice once you get in!"

Finn stepped back to the water's edge, looking nervously at the water before him. "It's way too cold for me," he said, and glanced behind him. "I think I'm just going to go back, I wanted to catch up with Luke anyways," he called.

"What? Nah, c'mon, Finn!" Poe exclaimed, but Finn had begun walking back out of the clearing.

"I'll see you guys later!" Finn called over his shoulder as he exited the clearing.

"I wonder what's gotten into him," Rey remarked.

"Ah, I think he's just afraid of deep water, you know?" Poe said, and he began swimming back to the shore.

'What, you too, now?" Rey called, puzzled. Poe laughed, and she watched as he got out of the pool and pulled two bottles out of his sack.

"I brought some Ebla Beers," he said, and jumped back into the water, handing one to her as he came back up to the surface.

"I've never had beer," Rey said, surveying the green bottle's labeling. "Or any alcohol, really," she said. "But I know what it does."

"You'll like it!" Poe exclaimed, playfully elbowing her. He opened his bottle and took a chug, and Rey did the same.

For a while, they chatted about Poe's experience with recruiting and training new pilots for the Star Fleet as they finished their beers. Soon, Rey's body felt warm and loose, her thoughts foggy times. It was a weird but pleasant feeling. She looked up at the sky that was turning an orangish blue as the sunset was nearing. "Let's go the waterfall," Poe said. "I'll race ya!"

Rey paddled as fast as she could but still lagged behind Poe, who covered the distance astonishingly quickly. He pretended to look at an imaginary watch on his wrist as she swam to him at the base of the waterfall. "It's about time," he teased, smiling at her brightly.

Rey giggled and playfully kicked his leg under the water, and he did the same to her back. Rey then swam under the splash of the waterfall, the crashing water soothing on her scalp as she ran a hand through her hair. She looked at Poe, realizing he was staring at her again. "What?" She asked, bewildered.

"You're beautiful, Rey," he said, his voice barely carrying over the sound of the waterfall. Rey moved from under the crashing water, looking at Poe with an inquiring expression. Dazed from the beer, she groggily studied his face, his warm brown eyes, his wet dark hair dripping down to his eyebrows. She realized they were moving closer together, Poe's eyes not breaking from hers, and she blinked slowly, trying to comprehend what was happening. Their faces were close, and, blinking, Rey glanced back towards the shore of the pool.

"Race you to the edge!" She exclaimed, and she hurriedly paddled to the shore, making her way to her pile of clothes on the sand. She turned to see Poe who was just now making his way back to the shore, still watching her. Rey slipped on her clothes, flipping her head upside down as she tried to shake some of the water out of her hair.

Poe pulled his shirt on and gathered his sack. Rey suddenly stumbled, leaning on a tree trunk for support. "I feel-I feel funny," she said, righting herself again.

Poe laughed, watching her with obvious amusement. "Alcohol will do that to you." He then crouched down. "Need a ride?"

Giggling, Rey climbed onto his back, and he carried her piggy-back style all the way back through the trees to the house. As she was carried through the darkening trees, Rey couldn't help but admire Poe's strong physique, drunkenly turning over in her mind the way he'd looked at her when they were near the waterfall. It had awakened feelings within her that seemed to have more effect than those simply caused by the beer.