The journey to Maz's Oasis was relatively short compared to the journey from Hays Minor. They left around eight in the morning and arrived a little under four hours later. Rey was pleased to find it was an actual oasis, with crystal blue waters that lay in a shallow but large lagoon surrounded by palm trees and a few grasses. For some reason that Rey could not explain, some land features had always fascinated her. Oxbows, atolls, glaciers, tall waterfalls and deep valleys. It seemed like oases were almost mythical where she came from, something you imagined while dehydrated and lost in the desert. This however, was a large, very much real paradise.

Maz had four cabanas built on one side of the lagoon, one larger one with a common area, and three more for sleeping. The cabanas were all made of different types of wood and were well reinforced, presumably to keep the warmth in at night. One of them belonged to Maz herself and the other two were for guests which she had every once in a while. Kylo, Poe and Finn were among her favorites but her all time favorite was Chewbacca, though he rarely came by anymore because his wife wouldn't let him. She said Maz was 'overly friendly'.

Kylo had warned Rey that Maz was quite a character but at this point there wasn't anything or anyone that could surprise her. Rey had decided to ride on BB8's back for the last hour of the journey. Before they left for the oasis, Rey was visited by an engineer and sketch artist who talked with her about the initial ideas for making a saddle. They talked as she ate her breakfast, describing what one looked like while the artist drew it. By the time she was done, all was ready to go for their journey and the engineer had a fairly good idea of what to create.

Once they got back to Jakku they would be able to test out the different sample saddles made. In the meantime, Rey had laid a few padded blankets across BB8's back to more comfortable sit on but otherwise relied on her own balance to stay on. She understood the general principle of squeezing her legs to urge forward and pulling the reins to break but after that it was all practice and perception from there. Thankfully the bridles they used to pull the chariots could double as reins as long as she gathered the excess leather straps. She paid a lot of attention to BB8's behavior and responses, making sure to memorize what worked and what didn't when trying to communicate what she wanted BB8 to do.

It came more easily than she expected. BB8 seemed to sense what she wanted without Rey having to do anything, as if they shared some sort of understanding. They had ridden comfortably with one another and when it came time for Rey to dismount, BB8 lowered slightly for Rey's convenience. Rey ruffled BB8's mane and the palomino whinied in response. She told herself to remember to get BB8 some treats to reward her hard work. Rey tied BB8 up a little farther away from the other horses and set out water for her like the rest of their party had for their horses before joining them.

Her two new team members, Tallie and Phasma, were tying up their horses down the way and Rey made her way over to greet them. She had met them earlier but everyone was busy getting ready to leave it and it felt rushed.

Tallie was about twenty, right around Rey's height, with stunning blue eyes and long blonde hair drawn up in a braid around the crown of her head. Her lips were naturally rosy and she held them in a constant smirk. During the journey to the oasis, she too disengaged her horse from her and Phasma's chariot to try her hand at riding and she turned out to be a natural. She and her horse were responding so well to each other, they took off on their own for a short while before she raced back to their party. Rey could already tell that she would be a useful asset on the team and an eager fighter.

Phasma was different. Cool and confident in her own way. Her hair and eyes were icy like the Queen's, platinum blonde and light blue respectively, but still held warmth. Rey saw someone she could trust when she looked at Phasma, the way she carried herself was sure and decisive. There was no doubt Phasma was going to be useful on the battlefield. She stood taller than even Kylo and Rey had seen her lift up one side of the chariot easily to check if there was a stone blocking her wheel's path. Rey was eager to see Phasma wielding a weapon of her choosing.

She approached slowly, not wanting to startle them with her usually quiet steps. "This place is gorgeous. I'm so glad we finally made it."

Tallie tugged the last knot to tighten it before turning to face Rey. "Yeah, I'm happy you brought us. Thanks for getting us in the army. We've been dying to fight and both have nothing left to live for anyway."

"Why is that?"

"Our families died in the war, Lady Rey," Phasma said, her clear, deep voice rang true and was polite.

"First off, just call me Rey. Second, I don't want to hear you say that there is nothing left to live for, cause you both have your lives to live for. Remember that. I need to trust that you will value your lives under my command. You two and Rose and Paige are part of a very special team I've assembled, but I have to be able to trust that you all won't just put your lives at risk for no reason. Live for yourselves."

Phasma gave Rey a small smile and nod of the head. "Yes ma'am. And thank you." The warmth of her smile reached her eyes and Rey knew she meant it.

Tallie was just grinning her side grin, teeth hidden. "Well, well, looks like everything they said about you is true. What did I tell you, Phasma? Our Princess and commander has a good heart. Let's hope it's not soft and what they say about your fighting skills is true too." It didn't sound mocking to Rey's ears but more like Tallie's competitive side coming out. Rey was happy to have a place for her, she understood what it was like to be competitive.

Rey's smile turned devilish, a smirk taking over. "You'll see for yourself today. Nice work riding on horseback. Maybe you can help me get the rest of them into shape. It's not the most natural thing but after awhile, you get pretty used to it. You looked like a natural today."

"I hear you were too, ma'am. Is it true you rode a horse off a cliff into battle?" Phasma asked.

"It's true. And it's just Rey, Phasma. No ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am." Rey chuckled in response and Phasma gave her modest smile, keeping her chin down.

They joined the rest of the party and approached the larger cabana. Music was traveling out from the windows, it was disjunct music with lots of bells, humming horns, and percussion. The main melody was a deep sort of rattling sound that reminded Rey of toads and frogs. Out of the front door came a short wrinkled old woman, deeply tanned from all her time under the desert sun.

"Kylo! Poe! Finn, my boy! Come give Maz a hug." Her voice crackled and rasped, but she moved with such ferocity that it was difficult to believe she was hundreds of years old, or so she would claim. She gave each of the boys a bear hug, clutching them tightly and giving them each a squeeze of the cheeks, pulling them down to her height to be able to reach. Maz wore oversized bifocals that wrapped around her head with a beaded strap. When she was done hugging them, she surveyed her new guests, adjusting the odd knobs and tabs on her bifocals.

"I see we have two traditional Tico beauties here. Rose and Paige. You have your mother's eyes. Such beauties, such strength. Tell your father hello when you get the chance." She walked past them, her steps quick, her back bent and butt out, waving from side to side. She was a small, amusing woman but she somehow commanded their attention with ease.

"And you three. What do we have here? Three beauties. Three orphans. Who are you three?"

"I'm Tallie Lintra of the town of Pippip. Best charioteer in Rim. You can watch me become the best horseback rider too." Maz cackled at that, her head rearing up like BB8's did.

"You will be one of the best, dear girl. And you?"

"Phasma, madam. Just Phasma." Maz adjusted her bifocals and gave Phasma a long look before giving her a small nod and moving on to Rey.

"I'm Rey," she said simply, her eyes glowing brightly, excited, ready for whatever was next. Maz moved suddenly, placing her hand on Rey's cheek before Rey could even process and react. She held completely still while Maz just felt Rey's cheek with her eyes closed in deep concentration.

"It is very nice to meet you Rey," Maz practically purred, opening her eyes which were so much smaller than the round glasses she wore. Rey watched her intently and found herself in a staring match with Maz Kanata, and losing, cowering under this small woman's profound gaze. She felt stripped away in that moment, like Maz was seeing right through her and Rey couldn't help looking down to make sure she hadn't gone as seethrough as she felt. When Rey broke eye contact, Maz stood on the tips of her toes and pulled Rey down so her lips were very close to Rey's ears and whispered to her, "Dear child, I see your eyes - you already know the truth."

Rey's breath hitched and she froze there, her eyes widening slowly. Maz pulled back to stare into Rey's eyes again. What could that mean? The questions Rey had been pondering flashed into her head quickly. Is she truly a goddess or just an ordinary girl? Is she meant to go back to her homeworld or possibly stay here? What should she do about her feelings for Kylo? She wasn't sure what her purpose was or why this had all happened so she couldn't possibly know what truth she supposedly already knew.

Maz held her hand on Rey's cheek a little longer before removing it and facing the rest of the group. Everyone besides Kylo, Poe, and Finn seemed freaked out by Maz's behaviour, though Kylo had a very curious look on his face. Maz gave them all a bright smile, not at all deterred by the weird looks she was getting. "You're all very welcome here. I expect you're all hungry. I have a large pot of fish grub simmering and ready for you to eat. Will you boys help me serve?"

Poe and Finn hurried inside Maz's cabana and headed straight for the kitchen. Kylo and Maz followed talking with each other quietly. The ladies entered last, all together, Rey closing the door behind them. Finn and Poe were hastily pulling bowls from a cupboard and dumping large scoops of fish grub in them before shoving them on the island in the center of the kitchen. It was sloppy but effective- they had quickly served everyone a bowl and were scarfing down their servings in the nearest seats they could find.

She could see that Kylo and Maz were still lost in conversation so Rey invited her team to sit outside by the water. They took their bowls out and settled under some palm trees, atop a few boulders, and looked out over the shallow waters. There were many different types of fish, large and small, swimming in their respective schools around the shallow algae and flora in the water. Their scales reflected the sunlight and created a dazzling array of lights, the water shimmering with color.

"So what did Maz say to you?" Paige asked Rey.

"She said that I already knew the truth."

"What do you think that means?"

Rey shrugged not wanting to give too much away. She still didn't know what to make of it herself yet, but wasn't willing to share too much with Tallie and Phasma. She still needed to make out their characters before fully trusting them, and Rey wasn't sure how much she wanted to share with her team of females in the first place.

"The old lady's a little on the nutty side, don't you think? I mean, who lives out here in a place like this all alone and doesn't get a little fried?" Tallie said gesturing around her at the expanse of sand that surrounded Maz's Oasis.

"Our father says that Maz has lived in this oasis for hundreds of years, taking in weary and lost travelers, collecting their stories, and helping them find their way. He says that her oasis moves, that when people report of seeing one in the desert and others call it a mirage or a hallucination, it's really Maz's Oasis travelling." Rose's tone sounded like the spooky one you would use while telling stories around a campfire. The girls launched into theories about Maz's backstory, Tallie insisted it was phony, Rose and Paige agreed with their father's version of the story, and Phasma offered so few words that anything could be possible.

While the other girls talked, Rey munched on her fish grub and watched the fish swimming in the lagoon wondering what Maz could have meant. What truth was she searching for? It had started to feel like she was searching for something along the way but what she could not be sure. She watched the fish, going through option after option and decided it was too early to tell.

Rey became sidetracked wondering if Maz ever came close to running out of fish. There were so many swimming around, how could she maintain them all, out here in the middle of the desert? Then again she was just one woman, maybe she didn't need to fish that often at all. Where did the water come from then? If it doesn't rain here, which it didn't seem likely, then it must be coming from underground.

Rey's mind kept trailing off, as she watched the fish and ate her lunch. For some reason she was finding it difficult to listen in on the conversation taking place around her. She instead focused on the fish grub. It was delicious, it was creamy, full of veggies and different kinds of fish. Rey scooped her last bite up into her mouth and put her bowl down next to her.

Phasma had remained fairly silent the whole time as well and Rey was thankful for that. Paige and Rose were telling Tallie about Hays Minor and what Rey had done on the battlefield. Rose showed Tallie the dagger she kept sheathed against her thigh under her skirt. Rose explained how she made it herself in her father's forges, showing her handiwork, the sharpness of the blade, the intricacy of the handle.

Rey felt like she was doing a horrible job at leading their team bonding but she was happy to see the girls talking nonetheless. Phasma was going to be a tough nut to crack but it gave her relief that at least one other person was finding it difficult to connect. She caught Phasma's eye and flashed her a smile before standing up and wiping her hands off on her tunic. Rey grabbed her bowl and said, "I'm going to unload some of the carts and then I'll see what the Prince has planned for us to do first." Rey started walking towards the main cabana, intending to wash off her plate and once again wondering where Maz's source of water came from, deciding it must be an aquifer, when she noticed Phasma had followed her. Despite her height, she stalked quietly, and it took a moment for Rey's sensitive ears to pick up on her.

"Phasma," was all Rey said. She hoped the other woman would do all the talking and believed her silence could get something out of her.

"Ma'am. I thought I could be of service in unloading the carts. I too, was finished with my meal."

Rey smiled at her tenderly, happy to have the company. "Thanks."

They stopped by the kitchen first, Rey served a little more fish grub into her bowl and Phasma cleaned hers before setting it to dry. They went outside towards the carts and horses. Phasma immediately got to work unloading trunks and barrels. Rey stopped by BB8 and set the bowl of fish grub in front of her. It wasn't healthy she knew but BB8 seemed to like it and she wasn't giving her too much. Rey set out to help Phasma unload. Something about these sorts of menial tasks had always been fun to Rey, a time to zone out and just work.

Together, they divided up the trunks between the two cabanas that were not Maz's personal sleeping quarters- men in one cabana and women in the other. There were a few baskets of food left and several barrels of some liquid, Rey wasn't certain of what. They loaded those into the common cabin and found Poe and Finn on their third serving as well as Kylo and Maz still talking. They were discussing Rim's current affairs, the looming war, and the use of obsidian in the wars to come. The Tico's secret recipe did not come as a surprise to Maz, though she would not reveal how she knew about it.

Once that was finished and Poe and Finn had cleaned their bowls, Kylo asked them all to gather outside. He grabbed some of the weapons that Rey and Phasma had brought in and so they picked up the rest and carried it outside behind him. He set them down on the ground and addressed them all.

"We are going to start with some sparring today. Everyone is going to select a weapon of their choice and pair up based on height and stature."

"Aww come on, Kylo, we just ate." Finn complained.

"Everyone else finished eating a while ago. It's your own fault you and Poe decided to eat three servings each."

"Well at least we are the same height so we can go easy on each other." Poe nodded and they shared a high five.

"Actually, I was thinking we could shake things up and you two have fought each other enough. Everyone is going to have new partners which means Rose and Paige are going to be separated as well."

"Sounds good to me. I'm tired of fighting Paige anway. Rey, you wanna partner up?"

"Sure."

"Fine," Poe said. "Tallie, I heard what you said about being the best charioteer in Rim. That's my title. How about we see if you're any good at hand to hand."

Tallie smirked and chuckled. "You're on."

"I guess that leaves you and me Finn cause I am not going up against Phasma or Prince Kylo," Paige said and went to go stand next to him.

"It's settled then. Let's break off for a little bit and work in our pairs and reconvene to see what everyone has worked on. I think we can all learn from watching each other and getting critiqued." They split off into their pairs and found different places to practice.

Rose and Rey both chose staffs and made their way to the water side. Rey couldn't help but twirl around the wooden staff, already missing the feel of the Tico staff. That one was far too dangerous to train with though and so everyone was using duller, wooden weapons, including Rey. Rose and Rey faced off and took three large steps back.

"You sure it was wise to pick a staff?" Rey joked with Rose.

"Don't worry, Princess, I know you need the handicap," Rose said sweetly and charged.

Rey quickly slipped into her fighting stance, pushing her feet apart and bending her knees. She was ready to step wherever necessary and quickly blocked a swing of the staff coming at her from the right side. As soon as she did, she shoved Rose's staff back and quickly slid her right hand down the shaft to send a blow back. Rose stepped out of its way and held her staff pointed at Rey, taking a moment to assess her best course of attack.

She swung her staff straight down at Rey who blocked the blow straight on. They quickly crossed staffs in front of them before Rose snapped her staff straight forward at Rey's chest. Rey sidestepped and smacked Rose's staff out of the way and quickly struck Rose's open side. Rose recovered quickly and after a few more meetings of their staffs, Rose landed a blow on Rey's left thigh.

They went back and forth, exchanging blows for fifteen minutes before Kylo called them back into a group. Rose and Rey were both out of breath by the end of their exchange and it took one look at each other to burst out laughing. Rey walked right up to Rose and wrapped her arm around the shorter girl and they marched back to the group complimenting each other on small moments during their fight. The entire group took a quick break to drink water and take a breather before watching each pair fight each other.

Tallie and Poe had skipped picking a weapon and instead decided on throwing punches and kicks. They were fairly evenly matched and both were quick to dodge or block each other's strikes. When they did manage to land a blow, the other person recovered quickly and they were back at it. Eventually their fighting descended into wrestling on the ground, and trying not to get caught in the other's grapple. Poe got a good hold on Tallie on the ground, using his extra weight and strength to pin her down, and held her there until she yielded. Poe stood up quickly and bent over to offer Tallie a hand up, which she took.

Poe was hunched over, hands on his knees breathing heavily. "Damn, girl. I am more out of breath than I would like to admit."

Tallie flashed a wry smile and also tried to regain her breath. She brushed some loose strands of hair out of her face and away from her neck. "You forgot to tell them I won our first match." Finn oo'ed at that and that got a laugh out of both the Tico sisters and Rey.

"It's true." Poe's bright grin matched the warmth in his voice and he put his palms out in defeat. "It was like trying to catch a snake. She would slither out of my grasp."

Finn and Paige went next. They used some short swords to face off and it was clear Paige had the upper hand. Finn was more accustomed to archery, his talent lying in his marksmanship, while Paige favored swords and shields. She was gaining a lot of ground on him and though he was defending well, Paige was landing a few blows that Finn struggled to block.

One time Finn blocked and managed to throw off Paige's balance by pushing back using his weight. She lost some of the ground she had gained but recovered quickly and proceeded more carefully. It went on like that for a little while longer until Paige disarmed Finn and pointed the fake sword at his throat. He yielded and she lowered the sword.

"You almost had me there. That was a lot better." She let out a relieved sigh and patted Finn on the back.

"You're pointers helped a lot."

"I could see that. And I think if you had followed up by throwing your weight in the opposite direction I would have been on the ground, possibly even disarmed."

"Hmm, yeah I see what you mean."

"We can practice more at it. Besides, you'll have to teach me how to shoot properly sometime. I'm a terrible shot with a bow."

Finn nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, no problem."

Rose and Rey went next, both of them enjoying another even match with each other. This time it was even closer but Rey managed to disarm Rose. She caught Rose's staff in a block, forced it to the ground and positioned her knee behind Rose's leg to bend and force Rose into a kneeling position. Rey pulled her staff up to hold against Rose's throat and smiled down at her triumphantly before releasing her and stepping back. They shook hands and stepped off to the side, set their staffs down and grabbed some water to guzzle down during the next fight.

Phasma and Kylo started their duel and its pacing was much slower than the rest. Both of them had selected longer swords and were choosing their steps and swings carefully. Neither were too eager to attack, neither overzealous and each swing was met with a block as they circled each other slowly. Kylo was holding back and Phasma wasn't an aggressive type of fighter in the first place. It seemed as if neither was willing to try too hard to disarm the other, so Kylo took the offensive, pushing Phasma back with a frenzy of swings. That in turn, spurred Phasma to retaliate with harder counterattacks and their fight picked up significantly.

They were both going through forms very quickly and precisely, it was obvious Phasma trained daily because she was keeping up with Kylo and he had trained under several different masters of arms throughout his life. It ended when Kylo caught Phasma's sword in a block, forcing it low and grabbing the hilt before throwing his shoulder into her side. Phasma to let go of her sword which was still in Kylo's firm grasp and stumbled to the side. He flipped the sword around in his hand and offered it to Phasma who took it with a nod.

"We've gotta get you to loosen up more. Your technique and foundational skills are so solid that we have to break you out of some of them. How's your hand to hand?"

"I fight like a bear, sir," Phasma replied in her serious tone with a straight face and Kylo snorted at that, surprised at her choice of words.

"I wouldn't want to be caught on the wrong side of that." Phasma smiled softly and nodded. Kylo caught Rey's eye and he winked at her very quickly so only she could see. Rey smiled brightly back at him and shot him back a wink. The private moment between them was clear, both happy that everyone seemed to be getting along well, offering help to each other.

Everyone replenished on water under the shade of the palm trees, the heat was bearing down and the day's exercise had left them all in need of some hydration. Rey felt energized under the sun and while the rest of them sat around talking in the shade, she went to go and explore the water and fish. There were so many swimming around that Rey felt like she could dip her hand in quickly and just catch one. She decided she would try so she waded into the water not needing to remove shoes since she prefered to walk around barefoot anyway. Though Rey would generally agree that she had soft skin, her feet had thick calluses from all her time walking around on blazing hot concrete barefoot back in her homeworld. It was something she was secretly proud of, no matter how unsightly and it had taken a long time of burning her feet to achieve it.

The fish scattered from where she had entered the water, so she found a solid spot to stand on, bent her knees and waited.

"Rey! Whatcha doing?" Poe shouted from his seat, his legs stretched out in front of him and his back leaning against a cool boulder.

"Catching fish!" she called back, making sure to remain as still as possible.

"Good luck with that!" Poe called back with a chuckle but he and several of the others decided to watch Rey try. She had worked up an audience and she intended on giving them a good show.

After a minute, the fish stopped perceiving Rey as a threat and started to swim around her legs again. She waited a little while longer, waiting for the density of fish swimming around her to increase so it looked as it had before, like clouds of scales floating about the water.

"What's the matter, Rey? Afraid to touch a slimy fish?" Poe teased from his seat.

Rey tuned him out, tuned the world out and concentrated, reaching out around her with her feelings. She felt the world slow around her and she breathed in deeply, feeling the heat, the breeze, the fish, the lovely, brilliant sun all interacting with each other, working in sync and exhaled. Rey quickly dipped her hand in the water, grabbed hold, and yanked her arm out, proudly holding a fish by its tail. It wriggled and writhed in her hold but she held on firmly. It wasn't difficult- the fish was about as long as Rey's forearm, but it was a fish nonetheless and it only took her one try.

Rey waded out of the water triumphantly, soaked from the waist down, and jogged over to the group, running right up to Poe. She shoved the fish in his face and started waving it around. He rolled out of the way and stood up quickly, avoiding the fish at all costs. "What, Poe? Don't want to touch the slimy fish?"

The competitive side of Poe immediately took over and he marched right over to the water and hopped in. "I'm going to catch a fish too!"

"Me too!" Rose called and Paige gave her a surprised look. Rose shrugged at her sister. "Why not? Seems fun." Paige just shrugged and got up to follow as well.

Rey walked over to where Kylo sat and plopped down onto his lap, he instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist, not caring about getting wet. She held up her fish in front of them, their faces very close together and observed the fish together. The fish was flailing wildly in her hand and she frowned. "He's not doing too well," Rey muttered softly. "We should take him back to his home. You want to help me?" She gave him a small playful smile and he responded by standing up quickly, simultaneously scooping her into his arms bridal style. She giggled loudly, squirming in his grasp as he marched over to the lagoon and waded into the water. He lowered Rey down delicately without letting her go so she may drop the fish in. They watched as it swam away quickly, disappearing into the rest of the fish.

Then Kylo swung Rey back and forth in his arms as if he was going to throw her. "And now for this fish. Off you go!" He tossed her into a deeper part of the water and she went under. Rey was a strong swimmer back at home and planned to get a little revenge. She opened her eyes underwater, thankful that it was fresh and so clear that she could see Kylo's legs from over here. That reminded her that he could probably see her approaching but she didn't care. She swam up to his legs and grabbed one, planting her feet on the ground to give her the leverage to unbalance him.

Unfortunately, he had seen her approach and was expecting her attack. He planted his feet and no matter what Rey did, she could not get his stance to budge and was forced to come up for air where Kylo was waiting to grab her again. Instead of trying to resist, she immediately grappled him as tightly as she could, locking her hands over her chest and her ankles at his waist and held on for dear life.

The water wrestling went on for a while and spread to the others who had given up on trying to catch any fish. Games of chicken and Marco Polo ensued and even Phasma came in the lagoon to join them. She was fantastic at playing Marco Polo because her height offered her so much control in the water and she silently waded through it. The downside to that was that Phasma was so uncomfortable with reaching wildly and blindly at anyone calling 'Polo' that the last game went on for fifteen minutes.

After an hour of playtime in the lagoon, people slowly started to get out and dry off in the sun. Maz came out eventually and announced that another pot of fish grub was ready for them and they all went in for some dinner.

Kylo had brought Maz six barrels of her favorite wine from the fields in Naboo and she dipped into one of them to share with everyone. Kylo warned them all not to have too much since they were meant to try horseback riding after their dinner. "And that means no three courses for you two, understood?" Poe and Finn nodded furiously and muttered something unintelligible with their full mouths before continuing to shovel fish grub into their mouths.

They had some time to rest before going out to ride with their horses because thankfully the season favored longer days. Rey looked forward to riding in the sunset but she knew it wasn't going to be that glamourous- riding a horse bareback was difficult and even though these horses were trained, they weren't using to people riding them. It was going to take some training and time and potentially some comical falls. The deep sand would make the horses less sure footed but at least that meant that any falls would have a softer impact.

They planned ahead by choosing a few well trained horses that were also suitably sized to carry each person and brought plenty of padded blankets. Thankfully there were two horses strong enough to carry Kylo and Phasma on their backs. They makeshift saddled up four horses and led them out far away from the water and Maz's cabanas, chatting lightly along the way about who was going first. Their plan was to partner up again based on size for the horse's sake, and practice getting on while keeping the horse relaxed. That was likely going to be the hardest part, after that it was about training the horse to respond to a pull of the reins and a squeeze of the legs, which would likely be a bit easier with these already experienced horses.

Surprisingly, it came naturally to most of their group like it had with Rey and Tallie. Poe was another gifted rider from the start, easily riding around on the horse Tallie had used earlier. He rode around like he was born with four legs, navigating the horse in figure eights and pushing the horse into a canter and howling the entire way with joy. When he rode back up to Tallie and dismounted, the two immediately started arguing over who would get to keep the horse as theirs, both knowing it was especially agile and responded wonderfully to any command.

"Oh, he's a beauty. I can't believe we've been missing out on this! I thought riding chariots was thrilling but it has nothing on how free I just felt. Me and this horse are gonna go a long way." Poe patted the horse affectionately and rubbed its side.

"Nuh uh, no way. I rode him first. I already named him Arzee, he is mine." Tallie stepped up to Poe, rising to her full height and puffing up her chest. She caressed Arzee's face and the horse nuzzled her cheek. Tallie couldn't escape the giggle that escaped her lips, Arzee's mouth was soft with ticklish fuzz. "See, he adores me."

Poe looked between Tallie and Arzee and knew it was too late, they had bonded already. The blue of her irises and the grey of his coat complimented each other and he smiled, happy for them. "Fine," he conceded. "You two look good together… But can I take him for another spin?"

BB8 was very kind to Rose and even let Rose and Rey ride together. Rose said in front holding the reins while Rey wrapped her arms around Rose's middle. Rose got the hang of communicating with BB8 quickly and soon they were racing around under the sunset as Rey had pictured. BB8 rode smoothly, gliding across the sand so that Rey and Rose would not be jerked around. It was exhilarating and they rode to the top of a nearby dune to watch the sun set over the oasis. Red bled into orange, bled into gold and painted colorful hues over the surface of the lagoon, the silhouettes of palm trees swaying and dancing in the water.

It was safe to say that Finn struggled the most atop the horse he and Paige were sharing. Paige was calling out helpful tips, frantically trying to help Finn who was atop the horse going backwards. It was painfully awkward how the horse moved, and it didn't help that Finn was leaning all sorts of ways like the palm trees in the breeze. Finn blamed the horse but when Paige tried, the horse was fairly responsive and she managed to command it to stop and start before she dismounted and had Finn try again. He improved considerably after that, especially since Paige had helped the horse feel more comfortable with a human on their back.

Kylo had an easy time riding, he was calm and quiet and that suited his large Friesian horse, Silencer. They were very familiar with each other already and made a good team, Kylo not needing to speak to urge Silencer forward or getting him to stop. Phasma had a harder time, finding it initially awkward. She rode stiffly, not able to find the balance necessary at first but with a little practice she eased into it more, finding her rhythm.

Aside from Finn who would need a lot more practice, their horseback riding experiment was a success, and the prospect of implementing horseback riding into their military was promising. They called it a night and returned for their third course of fish grub and split a barrel of wine between the nine of them. This time Maz gutted some loaves of sourdough to serve as bowls and set out a few bowls of oil and vinegar with rosemary, pepper, and bits of garlic to dip the extra bread in. It was a feast and Rey chowed down on two servings, earning a slap on the back from Finn and Poe each.

Maz started telling stories of pirates and gamblers, and a big heist she participated in back in the day. Rey got up and served up a little more fish grub before announcing that she was going to visit BB8.

Kylo stood up with his bread bowl in hand. "I'll join you." He scooped some fish grub into his bowl and followed Rey out of the cabana. They walked side by side around the lagoon to where the horses were tied up. The moon was reflecting a lovely silvery and green back at Rey and she watched the fish send little ripples across the water.

"It went really well today," Kylo said softly, his head tilted upward to look at the moon.

"It did. Rose and I got a lot closer today." A small smile played across her face. "I think she really has forgiven me for Aiden."

"There's nothing to forgive, Rey." She wasn't so sure about that still. Everyday she thought about how she could've done things differently and everyday she struggled to live with her decisions. She wanted to make things right and never forget how her decisions affected other people. Now that she had Rose, Paige, Phasma, and Tallie to guide, she needed to act wisely and become a stronger leader for them.

She fed BB8 her fish grub and Kylo did the same with Silencer. "I like Tallie and Phasma. I'm glad your father agreed to send them our way."

"I agree. I got a good vibe from Phasma today. I want her by your side at all times. She's a great fighter and she's trustworthy."

"I get that feeling from her too. I want to know more about where they come from, but I think that will have to happen with some one-on-one time. How long are we staying here?"

"Until midday tomorrow. We will ride back and then I'm back to work right away. I know my father said to take more time off but there's a war looming and lots to do. Besides, we have to plan your birthday party." He flashed her a lopsided smile and her heart sped up. "Your wall should be ready when we get back."

"Thank you, Kylo. For everything." He planted a soft kiss on her lips and pulled back a little to look into her eyes.

"Of course," he breathed and then took her hand to lead her back to the cabana.