disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. All original characters are of my creation.
"As long as you two watch out for each other, you both will be fine."
...
Six years later
26 ABY
...
The sun was at its highest point, blaring down its harsh rays on the desert terrain. The ship graveyard was quiet, making it easy to hear the wind blowing through the hollow carcasses of the Imperial and Rebel ships. The temperature in these hollow vessels was sticky and thick, making scavenging for parts miserable for anyone. But it was a way of life. These war battered ships are the source of survival for everyone. Most have been coming to this site for years, they view these ships as just chunks of metal. However, there are some that still marvel at their scale.
There it is. Naya pulled out the part she had been eyeing and quickly glanced over it to make sure it was still in good condition. Other than the dirt, it was fine. She quickly stowed it away in her bag. That particular piece and the others she found should earn her a good portion from Plutt. That is if he was feeling generous today. Plutt tended to fluctuate when it came to portion size. And that all depended on how much he liked you. This made trading with him entirely unfair. Naya and Rey were always on the receiving end of his dissatisfying offers.
Checking her footing, Naya scaled down the wall with such ease, she still found herself amazed at it. Once on the ground, she took a minute to look around her, as she did every day when she came out here. She was one of those people who was still able to find wonder in this place. There was something about this star destroyer that never ceased to catch her amazement. This huge chunk of metal would always make her think about the battles that occurred and the people that once occupied almost every aspect of this ship.
Adjusting her headdress to keep it secure, Naya walked through the barely lit ship towards the engine's opening. The same entryway she walked through the first time she came out here… six years ago. Naya still couldn't fathom how it had already been six years. Six years of coming out to this graveyard, and picking through the decaying ships, and bringing them back to get portions. Then, wake up the next day to do it all over again. She always thought to herself that it was a sad way of living. She always felt like she was on autopilot, never fully in control of her choices.
Stepping outside brought relief to her overheated body. The wind was at a nice speed, offering a good reprieve from having been inside the ship for an hour or so. She pulled down her headdress and pushed up her goggles, revealing a mature face with hints of dirt decorating her skin, but her eyes still held a vital youth in them. Years of being out in the sun and climbing through downed ships can take its toll. Anyone would say that she looked older than she really was.
Swinging her bag around, Naya pulled out a canteen and greedily gulped down half of the contents before she had to stop herself. Save it. She thought as she stowed the canteen back into her bag. Rey and Naya still had a lot more work to do once they reached back at the market. Glancing over, her sled was still in the same spot where she had left it, but she noticed something. Rey's was missing. Catching sight of a sled trail going down the hill, Naya huffed out a breath.
Dammit. She positioned her sled near the edge and used her hands to push until she was riding down the hillside. This was a method that Rey had discovered a couple of months into their daily trips out here. Converse as much energy, use something to slide down the hill. They've been using this tactic ever since and Naya was always reminded how grateful she was to Rey for coming up with this idea.
When the sled came to a halt, Naya felt the faintest smile appear on her lips. It was always rather fun to slide down the hill after scavenging around for parts. Standing up, she pulled her sled over to the speeder, placed the sled along with her bag, into the net. Placing a hand on her side, she turned back around, spotting other downed ships a little bit away from her, knowing exactly where Rey was.
She did it again. Naya climbed onto the speeder, pulled her googles down and pulled on her headdress, turned on the ignition and started toward Rey's location. It wasn't that far. Granted it shouldn't be since Rey always walked to get there. This had been an issue for a while now. Rey was curious. Naya didn't want to make Rey feel like she couldn't explore or learn more. But, when she just takes off without telling Naya, that can become an issue. When she arrived, Naya turned off the ignition and jumped off the speeder. There was a downed X-wing a couple of feet ahead from her and she could already see Rey messing around in the cockpit and her staff was leaning against the ship.
The goggles were pulled up and the cloth that was covering her mouth and nose was yanked down. "Rey!" Naya called out as she made her way over to the ship.
Rey, who was sitting inside, stopped what she was doing and turned to Naya with a big smile on her face. Naya, even though she was a little irritated, returned the smile.
"Rey, what are you doing?" Naya placed her hand on the hull of the ship and stared at Rey.
"I'm sitting inside an X-wing." Rey answered with the most obvious tone in her voice.
Her attempt to not make Naya irritated wasn't effective. Naya remained in position; hand on the hull and face frozen in a scolding look. "Rey, how many times have I told you?"
There it was. That tone. Rey's smile slowly diminished and she sulked back into the seat, "I know."
"You can't just walk off without me, wait until I'm done, then we can come over here together."
"It's not that far away from the destroyer," Rey was quick to point out for her defense. "And I got done finding my parts early, so I thought that I would just come over here."
Naya hung her head back and gave a long, drawn out sigh.
"You knew where I was anyway, there's nothing wrong with me coming over here by myself."
"Rey."
The young girl settled back in the seat, knowing that tone in Naya's voice. She knew it all too well. It was only used whenever Rey did something wrong, whether it was a major or minor thing, it didn't matter. Naya had told her several times to not wander off without her. This was the third time she's done it after Naya gave her a lecture about staying close. However, Naya couldn't really be mad at Rey. Irritated, yes. Mad, no. She glanced over at the young girl, seeing that she was mentally berating herself. "Rey," Naya felt that she could let Rey off a little easy this time. The young girl looked over at Naya with her soft brown eyes, "It's okay. Just next time, tell me when you're going to head over here, okay? That way I can go with you."
Rey's features lit up and her smile returned, "Okay."
Naya shook her head and smiled, "Come on, let's go back to town."
Rey jumped out of the X-wing. Her hand grabbed hold of her staff that was leaned up against the ship and they quickly made their way over to the speeder. Naya pulled herself on and then helped Rey up. Both the girls pulled on their goggles and covered their mouths and noses. Rey then wrapped her arms around Naya's waist. Turning on the ignition, Naya started back towards the outpost.
Naya felt a familiar chill go down her spine as they sped past the star destroyer. Loose sand was stirring up due to the wind, creating a hazy cloud of dirt that washed over the graveyard. It made everything seem like it was farther away. Being out here always made her feel more isolated, she didn't even know that was possible. The silence that greets her every time she arrives always manages to get under her skin.
When they finally arrived at town, Naya stopped the speeder near the cleaning stations, where she and Rey would be for the next hour or so. Naya had decided that it would just be easier to clean the parts here, instead of going back to their hut and then coming back here. Not a lot of back and forth and Naya liked that. Sliding down from the speeder, Rey and Naya removed their headdresses and goggles. Unhooking the net, all of their contents fell to the ground with a loud crash. Rey made sure to secure her staff's strap around her shoulder. They both hauled their findings over to their individual stations and quickly went to work cleaning them.
Cleaning can be a tedious and quite boring task, especially when done every single day. To help make the time go faster, Naya would keep watch on several of the other scavengers. Sometimes she would catch hints of other conversations. That is where she learned that nearly every scavenger called Plutt, the blobfish, behind his back. They weren't wrong, that's exactly what he looked like, so the nickname was befitting.
The overseers were making their rounds at the cleaning stations. Making sure that everyone was doing their work in a timely matter and not performing at a slow rate. Naya always kept up her performance during this time, she didn't want to get berated by them. They might be short statured but these overseers could be fairly vicious, especially when they insult others. Naya just would rather stay off of their insult spectrum.
One of them grumbled some kind of statement behind Naya's back as he walked by. Probably a little agitated that he wouldn't be able to call her out. That only made her smirk slightly. She knew how everyone here worked. Six years worth of observing everything around her, helped to make her more aware.
Once the cleaning was done, Naya and Rey left their brushes in the dirty water, gathered up their things and went to go turn in their findings to Plutt. Naya made sure to divide the remaining uncleaned parts into their bags. She and Rey had developed a certain tactic they had been using for a few years. Scavenge as much as you can carry and only turn in half of it, save the other half to clean later. That way they could have one day in which they didn't have to travel out to the graveyard. They would have spare parts to clean and take it back to the market.
Halfway to the main hub, Rey stopped Naya, "I need to go trade these in with Baen," she said, holding up two parts that she had scavenged.
"Okay, here," Naya took Rey's bag and slipped it onto her shoulder. "I'll go and turn in our parts. You can go and do your trade with Baen."
The two scavengers went their separate directions. Naya took her place in line behind a good number of people. It was expected. She had stayed in line longer than she had wanted to a few times before. Naya spent the time watching the scavengers. Some of them acknowledged her. They were scavengers she had grown acquainted with or would run into out at the graveyard. Not exactly people she would consider friends. However, Naya wasn't friendly with everyone. None of that was her fault. There were a few selective people, other traders, who looked down upon her and other scavengers. Being a scavenger was the lowest anyone can be out here and they were always taken advantage of and talked about. Naya simply ignored the staring and whispers that surrounded her whenever she was here.
She dumped out all of the contents onto the table when her turn was up. She was tired. Muscles fatigued and aching. A quick transaction was what she was hoping for.
"Where's the other one?" Plutt asked, beginning his assessment of the parts Naya had brought him.
"I don't think you need to worry about that," Naya answered.
Plutt simply hummed at Naya's answer. "I'll give you and the girl," he looked over the last piece that was in his hand. "A half portion for both of you."
Naya's eyes down casted, her body fueling with a sudden frustration as Plutt slammed the portions onto the table. He always does this. Naya silently shook her head, took the portions, and stalked out of the main hub. Plutt was always cutting down the portions when it came to her and Rey. Unfortunately, there was nothing Naya could really do about it. A half portion was better than none.
She mumbled to herself and was caught off guard when she was stopped by two Wookiees. They asked her where they would be able to find Bale who was one of the small local traders. Naya was a little surprised at first. It had been a while since she had been in the company of a Wookiee. Catching herself, she quickly pointed them in the direction. The two Wookiees offered their thanks before continuing on. She couldn't help but smile. The brief encounter stirred up memories she had long since stored away. She remembered Chewbacca and the many times he accompanied Naya and Ben around. Always making sure they didn't get into trouble. Naya absolutely adored Chewbacca. She missed him. She missed a lot of things. Although she was quite surprised with herself. The fact that her understanding of Shyriiwook was still intact. It had been quite a while, eleven years to be exact, since the last time she had any communication with Chewbacca. It was very comforting though, knowing that she still had that knowledge in the back of her mind.
Naya continued her walk towards Baen's tent and she could see Rey and him getting into a little dispute. Stashing the portions into her bag, she jogged the rest of the way over. Baen had grabbed onto Rey's arm, sending a sudden adrenaline rush through Naya. Luckily, she was able to reach him just in time before he could do anything else.
"Baen," Naya gripped onto his wrist, her eyes meeting his. "Let go." She quietly ordered.
He didn't look too happy. The fact that someone, a scavenger, was purposefully touching him like this. Plus, Baen and Naya never had a good relationship. Baen shook his hand free from Naya's grasp and looked at her like she had lost her mind.
"What's going?" Naya demanded.
"Baen isn't giving me the parts that he promised to give me," Rey shot an accusing glare in his direction.
Naya wasn't really surprised. Baen was known for being scheming when it came to trading parts. Rey had been dealing with Baen for the past year. She had been trying to build her own speeder and was scavenging certain parts to obtain the necessary bits that would help build her speeder. "Did she bring you the parts you agreed on?" Naya asked.
Baen offered a shrug, "I changed my mind."
"A deal is a deal, Baen." Naya reminded him.
"I'm the trader, Naya. I can change the basis of any deals I make with others," he lowered his gaze down at Rey. "And if I choose to go not forth with it, that's my choice."
Naya had no patience to deal with him. Having already been frustrated with Plutt, this was only fueling it even more. "Baen, it would do you well if you just honor the deal," she gestured at Rey. "Just give Rey the parts you promised."
He scoffed. Baen wasn't taking Naya seriously, he never did, much to her frustration. "I think you and Rey should leave. It's what's best for both of you."
Naya remained frozen, hardened eyes locked down on Baen with a silent glare. Don't test me, she thought to herself. Naya repeated herself again, telling Baen that he needed to give Rey the parts. That only seemed to aggravate Baen. He was known for having a short fuse. He reached out, grabbed Naya's shoulder to get her to leave. Something in Naya snapped. She brought her elbow up, hitting him in the face. Gripping his wrist with her other hand, she twisted his arm and kicked the back of his leg, sending him down to his knees. Naya kept her stance and tucked his arm against his back. Luckily, Baen wasn't that big of a person. He didn't dwarf Naya in size, he was only a few inches taller than her and a few years older.
Baen cursed under his breath, his chest heaving with hard breaths. "Okay."
Naya twisted his wrist a little more, small pops were audible from his shoulder and wrist, "Okay, what?"
The extra twisting made Baen jerk, anymore and she could easily sprain it. "She can have the parts!"
"Good, and?"
Baen gazed back at Naya, confusion etched into his features, "And, what?"
"Never touch me again."
Baen gave a painful nod, agreeing to her terms so that she would let him go. She didn't let go right away. Naya took her time studying his features for any hint of dishonesty. When she chose to believe him, her hold on him was released. Baen immediately fell forward onto his hands, trying to recover. Naya took a few steps back and watched Baen carry out the transaction, despite him constantly rubbing his wrist and shoulder.
Naya happened to notice the groups of people that were eyeing her and talking in hushed tones. This rarely happened with her. There were only a few occasions where she got into brawls with others. She never initiated the fights. They would always come after her. This case might be a little different, but she didn't care. This only reassures the others that she isn't one worth bothering. One thing that Naya was grateful for, the training her mother gave her in self-defense.
Rey held the parts close to her and walked over to Naya, who handed her bag over. After stashing the parts safely inside, the two turned and walked back to the speeder. Several people were rushing to get out of their way.
"You didn't have to do that." Rey offered as they made their way over to the speeder.
"Yeah, well, I think it was about time someone tried to put him in his place."
"You two never got along in the first place," Rey offered quietly. "Doing that didn't make things any better. What if he tries to come after you?"
Naya instinctively placed her hand on Rey's shoulder, neither of them missing a step, "Don't worry about me Rey. I'll handle myself if he decides to come after me."
Stowing their belongings in the net, they both climbed onto the speeder, put on their goggles and headdress. Naya kicked on the ignition and took the familiar route back to their hut. The adrenaline that Naya had experienced from her encounter with Plutt and Baen was still pumping through her veins. The speeder slowed down as they approached Zara's hut before finally coming to a complete stop. Turning off the ignition, the scavengers jumped off, gathered their bags, and each retreated into their respective huts. They would meet up soon for dinner.
Entering the hut, Naya lifted up her goggles and pulled down her headdress. She eased her hands out of her gloves.
"How was the trip?"
Naya's eyes scanned over the figure of her mother, who was getting ready to head out. "It was fine." The response was simple. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going out to help someone with fixing a speeder," Mila pulled on her headdress and picked up her goggles.
"Really?" Naya questioned, she tossed her gloves onto her cot. "You've been going out to fix this speeder for a while. You're always going out."
Mila's worn down eyes landed on her daughter. It was never physically noticeable. But, Mila felt a wave of various emotions wash over her just by looking at Naya. She still couldn't fathom it, how fast Naya had grown. She was no longer that young girl who despised this planet. Granted she still didn't like being here. But, Naya was something else. She was a survivalist—a fighter, who adapted to the lifestyle of Jakku at a fast rate. Mila was proud but also incredibly sad. The thought never crossed her mind that Naya would have to turn into this. Someone who scavenged decaying ships in order to survive. Someone who had to learn how to defend herself at such a young age. Mila never wanted this for her. Sadness and guilt is all she feels when Mila looks at Naya.
"You know how I am," Mila answered, giving a faint smile. "I like working, I don't like just staying cooped up in this hut all day."
Naya remained unfazed; her hazel eyes fixed in a blank stare, "Or maybe it's just because you can't be around me."
Mila blinked at Naya's statement, not making any effort to correct. Somewhere, in the recesses of her mind, it was true.
"It's because I remind you of—"
"No," Mila quickly interrupted, shaking her head. "Please, don't say it." Gathering her things, Mila was trying to make a hasty exit.
"Right," Naya shook her head and slammed her bag down on the table. "Can't talk about him. I get it. Go and fix the damn speeder, again." She plopped down on the workbench. There was already a bowl of water sitting on the table with a brush. She had placed it there before leaving this morning, and began to clean the spare parts.
She could hear shuffling around behind her. But, she paid no mind to it. Mila walked by Naya and stopped, turning to look at her. "Make sure you eat something."
A small nod was the response she received.
Mila wished that it could be different. She wished that the relationship with her daughter wasn't so strained. If she could go back and do it differently, she would. Stepping forward, Mila placed her hand on the back of Naya's head and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I love you, Naya. I hope you know that."
Naya couldn't conjure up any words for her mother. Deep down, she wanted to say it. She wanted to say, I love you, too. She so badly wanted to say it. But, she just couldn't. Naya grew an unfamiliar bitterness when it came to her mother. Little by little, over the six years, distancing herself created unwanted tension between them. Their relationship wasn't completely severed, but it definitely paled in comparison to what it was before.
There was no response from Naya. Not a nod or any kind of verbal acknowledgement. She only continued on with her cleaning. That tore Mila up inside and took this as her cue to leave, which she did, in a quick manner. When her mother was finally gone, Naya ceased her cleaning and slammed her brush down on the table. Abandoning the job all together, she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against her chair. She sat there, staring at the bowl of water, hearing the speeder turn on and the noise dissipated quickly into the distance.
Naya didn't move an inch, she remained frozen, still staring idly at the bowl of water in front of her. Finally, her hand slowly reached up and took hold of the charm around her next. She glanced down, seeing the J etching and then she turned it over revealing an R. Naya had put it there a few years ago, actually, she allowed Rey to do the honors. Rey had been fascinated with the necklace ever since Naya first showed it to her. She admired what it stood for. A testament to a sibling bond. Naya only thought it was appropriate if the R was placed there as well. Rey had grown to become like a sister to Naya. And being the youngest, Naya had always wanted a little sibling.
There was a sense of calm that settled in. She was no longer tense and she no longer felt that bitterness. Due to this, Naya immediately regretted the way she confronted her mother. After dealing with Plutt and Baen, her frustration had yet to diminish all together. She was just venting out the last few sparks she had on her mother, which wasn't fair. I'll apologize to her when she gets back.
Leaning forward, Naya decided to get back to work on the cleaning. There were apart three parts that she needed to clean for the next trade in. Six years of cleaning can help someone narrow down their skill in that area. Naya was one of them. Successfully brushing and scraping the grime off, has become an easy task for, not only Naya, but for Rey as well. They were effective when it came to cleaning.
The last bit of grime on the final piece was finally brushed away. Dropping the brush in the murky water, Naya leaned back and surveyed her work. All of the parts were well cleaned, at least clean enough for Plutt to take in. Gazing out the entrance, the sun was just starting to set. The sand almost took on a pink tint during this time and Naya rather enjoyed that sight. However, it was time for dinner. She pulled out the two half portions from her bag and frowned. Just looking at them made her think of Plutt.
Grumbling at her returning frustration, Naya made the meals for her and Rey. One thing she liked about these portions, it was so easy to prepare them. And it didn't take an ample amount of time either. Sorting out the food onto two plates, Naya grabbed two canteens, the plates, and walked outside of the hut. She took a seat right in front of the entrance.
"Your mom left again."
Naya glanced back and saw Rey standing behind her with the X-wing helmet on her head. There was an instant smile that lit up Naya's face. Every time she saw Rey wearing that helmet, she couldn't help but smile.
"As usual," Naya handed one of the plates over to Rey, who quickly took her seat next to Naya. She couldn't help but cringe at herself when she said that. The way she said it made her stomach drop. All that bitterness she had wasn't necessary. Then why did she have it?
"Where does she go all of the time?" Rey inquired and took a bite out of the bread.
Naya shrugged, "I have no idea. She never tells me." Picking at the veg-meat, Naya huffed out a breath, "It doesn't matter, she can do what she wants."
Rey scanned over the food that was on her plate, while chewing vigorously, she asked, "Plutt gave you half portions again?"
A change in subject, that was nice. However, since it was about Plutt, it actually wasn't that nice. Naya glanced down at her plate and raised a brow, "Surprised?"
Rey let out a scoff, "Not really," she paused in thought, mouth still full with food, "I mean maybe a little bit. Six years we've had to deal with that."
"There's nothing we can do about it Rey. Half portions are better than no portions."
The younger scavenger hummed in agreement. "I saw you talking with those two Wookiees, what did they want?"
"Nothing, really. They just wanted to know where Bale was." Naya then suddenly paused and stared up at the horizon. Being reminded of the Wookiees, sparked up a memory. When she first met Chewbacca and it was also the first time she met Ben.
….
Naya picked off a leaf from the branch and studied it, curiously. She was sitting higher up in the tree this time. Sitting comfortably on a thick branch, with her one leg swinging back and forth, Naya heard voices. They sounded distant at first. After going silent for a few minutes, they appeared again, this time much closer to her location. Dropping the leaf, Naya carefully scaled down the branches to see who it was she heard. After checking her footing, she stood on the final branch, that suspended her a few feet off the ground.
That's when she saw them. A young boy sitting on the huge rock near the creek's rock bead and there was a Wookie with him. Tilting her head, she watched the interaction between them carefully. The boy looked upset. She had seen him before. Glancing at him a moment longer, the recognition finally rang through. It was Ben Solo. General Organa and Han Solo's son. That means the Wookie was Chewbacca. She had heard quite a few things about Ben, mostly from other kids. There were some things others have said about him. Some promoted that he was too much of a loner, not wanting to be with others. Naya always dismissed those allegations. While she did view him as a solitary figure, she had seen him interact with very few people, not including his parents. But other kids his age. Naya had only been someone who saw him from afar, she never got the chance to actually converse with him. However, this moment seemed like the perfect chance.
"What are you doing?"
Naya's voice startled both Ben and Chewbacca. Their eyes were on her instantly. Ben seemed to be more surprised by it than his friend. Not expecting to encounter anyone else, he shifted in his position and moved his gaze off of Naya.
"I'm sitting." His answer was so mundane; he could hear Naya give a small scoff. This made him look back over to her, furrowing his brows in the process. "What are you doing?"
"I'm sitting," Naya repeated his answer with a small smile and then tilted her head, "in a tree." Naya's answer only made Ben look away again, not saying anything. She'd expected maybe a laugh or a smile, but nothing. This made her face go blank, quickly.
Chewbacca walked over towards the tree and reached his arms up at Naya, the noises he made wasn't something she could decipher. Due to this, Naya just simply stared at the Wookie.
"He wants to help you down." Ben said, upon seeing the confused look on Naya's face.
Smiling, she reached her arms out to him as he helped her out of the tree. "I could've climbed down myself." Naya received a few low howls from Chewbacca, in what sounded like his objection to Naya's statement.
"He didn't want you to hurt yourself getting down." Ben translated for her.
"Oh," Naya smiled up at the Wookie. "Thank you, Chewie."
This was so strange for her. She had seen the Wookie several times, either with Ben or with his father, Han. Of course, everyone knew who the two smugglers were. Their names were always passed around in conversation. Naya's father was more acquainted with the General, not necessarily Han Solo. There was no reason for Naya to interact with them for any reason.
The Wookiee strode away from the two kids, walking along the bank shores. Leaving them in silence, Naya could feel a wave of awkwardness wash over them. What exactly was she supposed to say now? Lacing her hands together, Naya took a chance. "You can understand him?"
Ben's gaze was still fixed on the creek in front of him, but it was visible that he was considering her question. "I know enough to communicate with Chewie."
Naya nodded and pressed her lips together, "Can you teach me?"
The question surprised him. He glanced over at her, brows furrowed and answered the first thing that came to his mind. "No."
"Why not?" Naya challenged.
"Why do you need to learn?"
"Maybe because I want to."
Ben turned back to face forward. He had come out here to be alone, aside from being with Chewbacca, he wasn't expecting to meet anyone. A part of him wanted her to go away, to leave him alone. Yet, that other half was pressing him to interact with her. To get to know her. His own stubbornness was getting the better of him. "You don't need to learn."
Naya's mouth cinched to the side. She could understand now why people would call him solitary. And it also explains why he's only with those few people. They were probably the only people he trusts the most outside of his family unit. But, all Naya could think about was the talk that surrounded Ben Solo, creating this aura of mystery around him. When really, looking at him now, he was just a boy, nothing more. And she wanted to get to the center of who he was.
"What's your name?" She asked.
The first thing she received was a quiet scoff, but it didn't sway her from the question. He probably thought it rather odd that she was asking him this question. "You already know it." Ben stated.
Naya shrugged at his response, "Maybe," she took a few steps over to him, her hand tapping at the rock he was sitting on, "but I want you to tell me." Not just his name, she wanted to know who Ben Solo was, the real person behind all the gossip.
This was different. The friends that Ben had surrounded himself with were people he has known since he was born. Naya was just some random girl who happened to be in the same place as him. There was something about her words that made his thoughts shift. He was used to being talked about, stared at, and the weight of expectations. Everyone always seemed to want something from him. Something that was out of his reach. Now this encounter was different. She was approaching him with no hidden intentions that would make him reject her. Her words were thoughtful and when he turned to look at her, he could see the genuine weight to her words. This was definitely different.
However, he still felt it rather odd. Telling her his name when she knew perfectly well who he was. But the expectant look on her face told him that she was waiting. She wanted him to do this. Huffing out a breath, Ben felt his shoulders and body ease, then said, "I'm Ben."
Naya's face lit up with a triumphant smile, one that was too infectious even Ben couldn't spare the way his lips curled at the edges. "Nice to meet you, Ben."
He had expected for her to walk off right then and there. To just leave him there. Instead, Naya gestured for him to scoot over in order to make room so that she could sit on the rock. Climbing up and settling next to him, Ben couldn't help but stare at Naya, perplexed by this. She hardly knew who he was and just because they talked briefly, she's all of a sudden comfortable around him? This only confirmed his earlier statement, she was different.
She knew that he had to be confused with her. It probably made no sense to him that she would be doing this, however, it made sense to her. Naya had always been curious about Ben and now she has the chance to pierce the veil that had been presented to her. To learn about simple things; his interests, likes, and dislikes. Naya didn't care how this might make her look.
She caught Ben still staring at her, the confusion had been replaced with surprise. He didn't look agitated or upset, it was quite the opposite. He looked calm. Naya was able to get a better look at his eyes, noting how dark they were, almost black in color. If she had to match it to something, they took on the same color as his hair. But they looked soft and gentle and there was so much light in them.
"I'm Naya."
Ben smiled. It couldn't compare to the one Naya gave when he offered his name, but it was still something. "Nice to meet you, Naya."
"Are you gonna teach me?" She asked again after a brief moment of silence.
This time, Ben didn't scoff or ignore her question. He simply smiled and said, "I'll teach you."
….
"Naya."
Rey gently shook Naya by the shoulder, startling her out of the daze she was having. "Are you okay?"
Naya nodded. "Yeah."
"Really?" Rey momentarily picked at the food on her plate, "You were just staring off into nothing."
"I was just remembering something." Naya didn't go into detail. The subject of Ben wasn't one that she explained fully to Rey. For one, it brought up too many things for Naya, and two, Naya just didn't feel the need to inform Rey the entirety of the subject. It was best if she just left the subject slightly untouched.
"Did seeing those Wookiees spark the memory?"
The question made Naya smirk. "What makes you say that?"
"You told me about how you knew Chewbacca," she discarded the X-wing helmet and placed it down in the sand next to her. "You always said that you were pretty close with him."
"Makes sense." Naya gave Rey the benefit of being able to guess right. It didn't bother her. She didn't mind talking about Chewie or even Han for that matter. "I was just thinking about the first time I met him."
"You miss him."
Of course she missed him, she missed everything from that period in her life. "There's so much that I miss, Rey."
The younger scavenger nodded solemnly. Faint, unclear images from her early childhood seeped into her mind. She was never able to truly decipher what they were. Rey chose to just enjoy the fact that she even had them. "We both do." Her family was the one thing Rey missed dearly. Six years, there still hasn't been a single instance that would hint at Rey of their return. She was still here, on Jakku. "Do you think they are really coming back for me?"
Naya knew who Rey was talking about. Her family. The people she had been waiting for to come back for her. Six years she's been waiting for them. "What do you believe?"
After thinking for a moment, Rey finally answered with newfound determination, "They're coming back for me."
"Then, they're coming back." Did Naya actually believe that statement? She had her doubts. Naya wasn't fully against the idea, Rey's family could very well come back for her. But, as each year passed, Naya became more and more skeptical. Of course, she never had the heart to actually tell that to Rey. Hope was what she was clinging onto. Naya wasn't going to take that away from her. "Honestly, it doesn't matter what I believe Rey," Naya continued. "If you believe that your family is coming back, then they're coming back."
Was this fair? Constantly reassuring Rey that keeping up this level was hope was right for her? Rey had stated to Naya that hope wasn't bad; it was a good thing. It gave people faith that things would get better. Naya didn't follow Rey's example. Naya gave up the idea that she would get off of this planet. Every once in a while, Naya would catch herself just sulking, thinking about what could have been. While Rey, who is so full of hope, faces each day with determination. Maybe, Naya made a mistake by not taking Rey's words. Naya could always feel her stomach turn every time she did this. What happens if Rey's family never comes back? Rey would be absolutely heart broken. Add to the fact that everyone around her constantly was feeding her hope. It was going to make the fall even harder.
They ate the rest of their dinner in silence. Each soaking in the sporadic memories that were coming back to them. Naya didn't necessarily want to stir the embers when it came to Rey's family. Most of the time, she tried to avoid the subject or cut the conversation as brief as possible. Even then, these types of conversations were rare for them to have. Once they were finished, they placed the plates next to them. The sun was disappearing behind the horizon, giving them a full view of the stars that were just starting to decorate the sky.
Taking a moment, Naya glanced over at the helmet next to Rey and smirked, "You really like that thing, don't you?"
"It's not just a thing," Rey retorted and picked up the helmet. "It's a pilot's helmet." She quickly offered it over to Naya, "It would look good on you."
"You think?" Naya took the helmet and situated it on her head. Then, she looked at Rey to receive her approval, which she did.
"A proper X-wing pilot."
Both snickered at the statement. Although, Naya did like the way it felt. When she was younger, Calum always allowed her to wear his helmet, even though she was too small for it to fit well. Now, she was old enough to where it fit just right.
"X-wing pilot," Naya repeated the words, seeing how it felt when she said it. And it felt good. It felt right. "Wouldn't that be nice." Pausing, she leaned her head up and gazed at the stars. "To fly anywhere, whenever I want. Without even thinking twice. I would love to do that."
Rey had followed Naya's example; gazing up at the darkening sky. "Travel to different planets, see new things."
As her hand grazed over her necklace, Naya suddenly remembered something. "Rey," she pulled off the helmet and set it down, "I have something that I need to give to you."
Opening one of her belt compartments, Naya pulled out the necklace she had made and placed it into Rey's hand. "I made this for you."
Admiring the handicraft in her palm, Rey noticed the N that was carved into the face of it. She recognized the simple design. "You made this for me?"
"I thought since you already carved mine, I thought I would make you one. You always seemed so interested in it."
"Of course I was," Rey tied the string around her neck, securing it in a small tight knot, "I really appreciated what it stood for."
She couldn't stop marveling at it. It was simple and the meaning behind it was well known to her. But, Rey still couldn't help but poke at a small detail Naya had told her early on. "You're not planning on leaving are you?"
Naya merely laughed, knowing exactly what Rey was talking about. The entire meaning behind this was that Jaiden had to leave for his training and this was supposed to keep them close. Rey was only teasing Naya. "Of course not. Where am I exactly going to go?"
Edited: 5/11/2020