Rey was cautious as she walked through the base, her pace slow as her curiosity spiked. She hadn't gotten to see much of it when she was last there but now that she had time, she found the place to be quite large yet it was still seemingly packed full of people despite the size, stuffed to the seams with bodies, equipment, and transportation.
But what else could she possibly expect from the Headquarters of the Resistance?
Still, it was vast in its entirety and she ended up getting a bit lost, yet despite that, at the same time, the scavenger in her told her to press on, to see what all there was to see. However, a second, smaller voice in her head told her that she needed to stay on pace, to do as she asked to both please her master and to see her friend once more.
And her body was buzzing with excitement as she made her way along, her eyes both searching for his face whilst she took everything else in.
Goodness, all of it was sensory overload after being secluded on Ahch-To for those few months and even coming from Jakku... Regardless, it was still overwhelming and full; full of people and life. Loud.
The Force inside of her both loved it and hated it, for it clouded her mind and made it harder to focus.
Perhaps she would meditate while they were visiting. Help clear some of the clutter and long overused wonderment that she once reserved for the entirety of the galaxy. In all honesty however, Rey just wanted to stop being so surprised and overwhelmed with it all. She just needed to accept that it was vast and strange and that she could now be a part of it.
She was free now, after all. Freed from so many things. And Sage would only help to free her even more.
Regardless, she found herself lost a number of times and her pride wouldn't ask let her ask anyone for help, though, she did get a number of strange passing looks from people, both because they didn't know who she was or because of her different physical attire.
Still, when she found herself out of sorts, she discovered an alcove and backed herself into it so that she could close her eyes, not even bothering to sit down despite that that would have helped the situation even more. Instead, Rey did as she was taught so many times, breathe—in and out, in and out—and to clear her mind of all else.
And she allowed his face to fill her mind; his smile, the twinkle in his dark eyes.
She wasn't sure what he felt like in the Force so she instead concentrated on his whole person and perhaps, the Force would eventually show her the way. And she wasn't sure how long she was there in the alcove but eventually there was a tightening in her mind and then she could see the individual lives in the Force, the little firings like synapses of nerves in a brain.
But there was one that flashed brighter than the others, the blip blinking faster than the gentle pulse of the others, synchronized with the thud thud of the universe's heartbeat. Again, it was overwhelming but Rey reached out and took the essence into her mind. And the strangest thing happened...
It was like a line appearing in her mind; a visceral feeling that rooted deep in her gut and caused her eyes to open as she crept from the alcove. And everything passed her by as she was driven forward, her mind focused solely on that blip in the base.
Eventually, it looked like she was passing more into the medial sector of the base and it was all vaguely familiar from when she had visited him last time in the med-bay. Now, though, Rey could feel the line—the pull—in her mind getting stronger the closer she got. General Organa had said that he was finishing his physical therapy so it made sense...
And then she was snapping to a stop by a door, her body doing so against her own will and when she turned to look through the little panel of transparisteel embedded into the door, she had to stand on her tiptoes to see inside. But when she did, she felt her eyes widen and the pull in her buzzed excitedly.
"FINN!" She nearly shrieked, her voice breaking slightly as she slapped her hands on the door and then the small viewport out of joy and the want to garner his attention. "Finn! Finn! It's me!" The man and the two nurses inside—one human male, the other a female Twi'lek—looked up from where they were standing near a set of what looked like long exercise bars, the ex-stormtrooper stationed between them as he carefully walked along, using them to support most his weight.
All three of them looked confused for a moment before Finn was grinning widely, "Rey?!"
"Yes, yes, it's me!"
Hurrying along the bars at a faster pace until Finn could round the end of one, his two helpers were immediately at his sides to help him, the male holding a single crutch in his arm that Finn tucked beneath his armpit so that he could wobble closer to the door. It hissed open a moment later, the barrier falling open between the two of them.
And Rey was instantly leaping into the room, a large grin on her face as she threw herself at her friend.
"I can't believe you're here!" Finn himself was grinning as he accepted her into his arms, the crutch clattering to the floor so that he could circle both his arms around her. The aids at his back laughed softly as they placed their hands on Finn's shoulders, steadying him as the force behind Rey's slam into him threatened to unbalance him on his slowly strengthening legs.
"Neither can I," she grinned the entire time, her eyes sliding closed as she hugged him tightly, his warm, strong embrace so welcomed after they had been separated for so long. "But here I am."
Eventually, they drew back from one another, Finn's hands still on her upper arms as he looked at her face, really looked at her and sure enough, it was the same Rey that he had saved from Starkiller those short months ago. He instantly took notice that her clothes were a little strange and different if anything, heavy cotton fabric with an interesting leather belt and shined boots upon her feet. Her hair was still in the same three buns he remembered and there was a flutter in his heart when he realized that she had changed very little.
Perhaps it was just the cleanliness about her person that caught him off guard a bit. He'd never seen her any other way than the sandy, sweaty girl from Jakku. And now she was something else entirely. But she was still Rey.
Finn himself looked well, Rey decided, grinning broadly at him, the same twinkle in his eye that she remembered. However, the crutch was new...
"What are you doing here?" He asked gently, shaking his head as if amazed.
"Well, uh... I'm-I'm..." What could she tell him? What was okay to tell him? Her eyes flickered to the other two in the room and her lips twitched nervously. "Can we, um, go somewhere else to talk? It's kind of... important."
"Oh, yeah-yeah. Sure." He looked back at the two aides and they smiled in understanding. The male nurse stooped down and lifted the crutch from the ground and Finn accepted it beneath his right arm again.
He gestured to the open door and Rey ducked her head and stepped through, Finn following shortly after.
The two walked in silence for a bit down the long corridor as they left the room behind, numerous people rushing by them to attend to their duties whilst the two friends proceeded down the hall at their slower pace.
"I never realized before how big this place is," Rey said softly after a moment.
Finn glanced over at her and smiled broadly, "Yeah... It's a big place. Seems even bigger now that it takes me hours to get places."
The girl frowned softly, her hands playing with themselves nervously as she looked over at him, "Because... Because of what happened on Starkiller?"
"Yeah... It was because of what Ren did." Finn himself suddenly seemed so serious, his eyes darkening slightly at the mention of the man. The smile had died on his face. "His saber messed some stuff up in my back."
"But you're going to be okay, aren't you?" Rey asked softly, concern clouding her mind, "You're going to get better?"
"Oh, yeah! Absolutely. I'm already way better than I was even last week." He promised her, a hint of a smile playing on his lips once more. "It won't be long before I'm back to normal. It's just... taking me a bit longer to get used to walking again after the coma and the surgery. But I'll... I'll get better." Finn was quiet a moment, still solemn. "Poe... has been helping me a lot lately. With both therapy and just... adjusting to everything. Keeping me in good spirits."
"Poe?" Rey asked, her brow furrowing gently. "I swear I've heard that name before...?"
Finn smiled then, the action coming so easily to him. And she swore that his cheeks darkened slightly but it could have just been the light, "Yeah. He's a pilot... Actually, he's the one that was captured by the First Order and we escaped. Together." Finn cleared his throat and swallowed thickly, straightening, "He's supposed to be back on base today, actually. I think you'll like him."
"I think I'd like very much to meet him. Thank him for helping you get out of the Order."
The smile was back on his face, "Yeah, he's a good guy."
The two of them started walking again, the click of Finn's crutch on the ground accompanying their quiet footsteps. Eventually, though, they came upon a larger room, one that opened up into a vast space but still had a lower ceiling. Inside, rows upon rows of long tables filled the room. A few people were sitting here and there at different tables, some of them with a tray of food in front of them, others simply seemed to be talking amongst themselves.
Across the room was what looked like a stainless steel counter that was probably used for serving lines, the kitchen and pantry in the other open room behind it. It in itself was filled with numerous machines and there was a person dressed in a white coat, slicing some fruit at the counter while food steamed in large pans on warmers beside the serving line counter.
Finn made his way over to the nearest table and sat down, his crutch being propped against the edge of the table. Rey took the seat across from him, both of them settling down until they were comfortable on their individual little seats that dotted the length of the tables.
"Okay... so what's up?" He began, his hands tapping on the tabletop, "You're definitely back on D'Qar for a reason and judging on how you're dressed, it wasn't to come back just to see me."
"No, no... I guess not. It's just very lucky how these two things coincide, I suppose," REy smiled sheepishly as she looked down at herself and her Jedi clothes. She then leaned in close to him as if she were about to tell him something scandalous. Her dark eyes glittered with excitement because everything that they had done and risked their lives for had led to this very outcome. "I... I did it, Finn. I found him."
His eyes widened and his hands gripped the edge of the table tightly, "You found Luke Skywalker?" He hissed loudly, bringing his face closer to her own.
Rey laughed, the sound a single sharp bark, "Yes!"
"He's... He's actually real?!"
"As real and flesh and blood as you and I!" She beamed.
"So that explains the clothes, the Jedi getup." He gestured to her, "I mean, Poe told me you went out to look for him but we didn't know if you ever actually found him. There was no word back from the Falcon or anything."
"No, no, we found him. He's definitely alive. We just couldn't risk sending a transmission and having it be intercepted."
"Wow," Finn shook his head in amazement, straightening in his seat a moment to look around before he was bending forward once again so that they could whisper between the two of them, "So what's he like?"
"Oh... He's—" Rey paused then, her lips parted as if to speak. In her mind, Master Luke was great and all. Poised and humble yet proud at the same time. And yet, she spent more time with Sage than she did with the Jedi Master. She only saw him during meals and then when she was lectured in the morning on history and useful skills and knowledge that a Jedi needed. Even then, Sage typically helped with those lessons as well.
When she thought about the Jedi now, Sage was always what came to mind first; strong, bold, wise, and kind. Untouchable.
"He's... Well, he's everything that you would expect. Kind, wise, gentle... patient." And probably so many other things but Rey had yet to witness them. The older man had never once even touched the saber hanging from his hip but she was almost certain he was all the things Sage was. Perhaps just more docile by both age and nature.
"Did he... Is he here?"
Finn seemed so excited but when Rey failed to show the same enthusiasm from before, it faded from him slightly, "N-No, he's not here, Finn." She explained, folding her hands in her lap. The glimmer in his eyes dulled slightly. "But! Someone else came with me! Master Luke wasn't alone this whole time. He wasn't ever the 'last Jedi'."
His eyebrows rose in surprise, "Really?"
"No, her—" There was a group of Resistance soldiers that walked by at the time and Rey watched them go, remembering the confidentiality that her master had asked of them before. "You can't tell anyone, okay? It's important that you don't," Finn also looked at the soldiers as they walked through the cafeteria and down one of the halls. He turned back to her and nodded, licking his lips nervously. "Her name is Sage and she's a Jedi Knight. She's the one who is actually teaching me about the Force and how to use it. But she doesn't want anyone to know who she is incase the Order somehow finds out so you can't tell."
The man nodded along the entire time but then he frowned softly at her, "Okay... But, that still doesn't explain why you're here?"
"I am... I mean, we are actually here to find someone." Rey told her, her eyes sparkling with excitement once more. "There's been a new awakening in the Force." She whispered.
"And... you're going to want them to join your little Jedi Order, right?"
"Well, hopefully." Rey sighed softly, "Even if they don't really like the idea, Sage can be very persuasive. Very passionate. Strong. Independent. She's... She's the type of person you don't want to disappoint."
Finn frowned deeply at that, "So she's pretty strict, huh? She must give out hard punishments if even you say something like that."
"No... No, it's not like that, Finn!" It was Rey's turn to frown now at the sudden coldness he was pressing onto Sage when he hadn't even met her, "You don't want to disappoint her because she's the type of person who would do anything for you. She would try to move the cosmos if you asked her." She pursed her lips slightly, still not liking how he spoke about her master. "She could so easily inspire loyalty in people. We need her if we want to win this war."
The wrinkle in the man's brow slowly relaxed and he bowed his head, shaking his head slightly, "I'm-I'm sorry, Rey. I didn't mean it like that. It's just... I have trouble trusting figures with authority after the Order. And when you said that... I was just worried about you. Worried that you weren't being treated well."
At that, Rey softened slightly, "Well, your worry is misplaced. If anything, when I'm at Sage's side, I'm in the safest place imaginable in the galaxy. I can assure you of that."
Finn snorted slightly, his mood lifting as he gestured half hearted at the brunette, "Where is she then?"
Rey hummed, "She was busy talking to General Organa when I last saw her. She'll probably be busy with that for awhile. But I'm supposed to go find her later, for training."
"Yeah, probably..." He mused, his lips pressing into a thin line a moment. "Well, until then, why don't I show you around? Just as you said this place is massive. Has lots of cool stuff to look at, a great view. You wanna go?" Finn gestured to the base with his hand and Rey was smiling, rising from her seat as her answer. Satisfied, Finn tucked his crutch beneath his arm once more and Rey joined him at his side as they began to walk down towards the other side of the cafeteria. And when a sudden thought struck him, he smiled. "Maybe we'll run into Poe while we're at it."
The dark haired boy ahead of him sat crouched hidden amongst the leafy foliage before him, dark eyes peering out of the cracks of the massive fronds at the small clearing sitting before him.
Ren himself could see the scene perfectly, watched as the strapping young male figure in the orange jumpsuit crossed over the foliage covered floor of the clearing to the massive form of the old X-Wing landed there.
It was strange how much younger Poe Dameron looked here, Ren mused to himself. No doubt stress from the war has aged him but in this memory, if he judged it from the age of the young boy a few yards ahead of him, Dameron was only 18; still young, just joining the Resistance's ranks, already surpassing many others both his age and even older to earn his first X-Wing.
However, there was suddenly a second body bouncing into the clearing as well; the tall, lanky thing that she was at the time. Still skinny in her padawan robes that were seemingly draped over her form. And barefoot... of course.
Sage was only 14.
She was bright eyed and grinning as she then jogged across the clearing, stopping at ship's wing so that she could jump up, her leap barely Force-enhanced to get her those few precious inches closer so that she could grasp the edge of the metal. She stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth as she struggled a moment beneath her weight before she was pulling herself up, dirty feet dangling in the air a moment before she hoisted herself entirely over the edge.
The curly haired man just smiled softly at her disappearing feet and shook his head while he picked up a set of wrenches, a rag in his hand as he cleaned them off.
When the girl had settled herself on the wing, she flopped back and rolled over onto her stomach, so that she could hang her head over the edge and watch her companion. Her long silken hair flipped over and swayed in the gentle breeze around them, her long padawan's braid swinging from where it started at the nape of her neck.
"Are you done yet, little lemur?"
Sage scowled down at him before she pushed herself back from the edge, her arms crossing themselves beneath her chin so she could rest it on her forearms.
"No. And I'm not a lemur."
"You sure act like one sometimes when you're climbing up and on everything."
"Master Luke says I need to get stronger..." She wrinkled her nose at the thought, "Ben thinks that's stupid, though." The boy in the bushes froze. "And I'm starting to think it's stupid, too. I need to be fast instead of strong. People are better fighters if they're faster."
"Well, can't you use the Force or somethin' to make yourself stronger? Isn't there like... Force-enhanced strength or something?"
"Yeah but it's dumb. And it's cheating."
"You're still strong, though, right...?"
"Well... Well, yeah—"
"Then there you go."
"But I want to be strong naturally! I want muscles! I'm tired of being a bean pole!" she insisted and then sighed sadly, her face dropping into her arms to hide herself.
"Maybe you should start eating more, sport."
Sage growled softly, her voice muffled by the metal and her forearms, "I do, though! You know how I eat! I eat as much as a Rancor!" She inhaled sharply and was quiet for a moment, "I eat like I'll never eat again at every meal!" Her voice broke at the end of her sentence.
Ah, Ren's mind honed in on that. That was this point in their lives where the both of them had been so self-conscious about anything and everything. And yet, they couldn't hide a single thing from each other. Yet, he had never noticed her flaws and when she pointed them out to him, he would simply roll his eyes and remind her that Jedi didn't bother with physical appearances.
That usually worked well to keep her quiet.
Poe immediately stopped what he was working on to look up at the wing above them. He stepped out from beneath it a moment later to gaze up at her and the way her slim shoulders trembled as she cried. He dropped the tool and rag he was holding and was ascending the ladder to his cockpit but stepped out onto the wing instead. He carefully seated himself beside her, his legs dangling over the edge.
Even from his position, Ren could see sadness in Dameron's gaze as he carefully rested his hand on the girl's blonde head, his dirty fingers gently stroking down the silky strands. A loud sob escaped Sage then and she turned her head away as if to dissuade his gentle actions. Sighing, he instead dropped his hand to her back and gently rubbed soothing circles across her shoulders.
"Hey... Hey, kid. It's okay..." He soothed, his voice soft. "Sage, look at me." He prodded her gently, his palm atop her head once more. "Hey, come on. Look at me... Please?"
Both of them were still for a long moment before her head turned ever so slightly, her watery, pale eyes staring back at him from inside the dark depths of the crook of her elbow.
"It'll happen, okay, kid? It just takes time, this kinda stuff. You're still growing." He offered her a crooked yet kind smile of reassurance. "Do you remember what I looked like when I was your age?" She was unmoving before she nodded softly, still quiet. "I was heavier, wasn't I? Had pretty round cheeks," he squeezed them for good measure. He then slapped them softly, "But see now? I haven't been living my life any different and my cheeks aren't so round anymore."
What was most saddening was that Sage was so, so close; it would be only months, at most a year later that the weight would start to stick and her strength would build. But again, Ren had never noticed nor cared. She was always just Sage to him.
Ren just remembered waking up one day and spending a free afternoon in the shallows of a lake, the sun shinning down upon the two of them, a pack of initiates playing in the water just down the shore. He remembered suddenly coming to the startling realization that his best friend, the girl seemingly perpetually at his side since she joined the Academy, was suddenly becoming a woman. When had his best friend become so beautiful?
Yet, he had always thought she was beautiful, regardless that he never told her.
"Yeah but it's different, though," Sage insisted, "It's harder to pick on a chubby kid than it is to pick on a twig. Twigs are easier to snap."
"True... but I know you, kiddo. And you're a fighter." He brushed her hair back from her face so that he could see her eyes more clearly as she gazed up at him. "You don't let anyone push you around regardless. And if they do, they get a bloody nose and are sent home with a single command from you and nothing more to say."
For a moment, she was quiet before she lifted her blotchy face and once more rested her chin on her forearms, "Master Luke doesn't like when I do that, though. Forcing people to do things. He says that it's a breach of sentient will... And I myself hate having to do it, Poe."
"It comes to you so naturally, though."
"Ridding people of their will and bidding them to do mine? How absolutely marvelous." Her voice was so dry, her voice so void of emotion for someone her age.
She always could get so serious sometimes, like her mind was so much older than her body was.
It was then quiet again for a minute, the rustling of the trees filling the silence as well as the various birdsong that permeated the air, reflecting back into the little clearing where they were. "I'll never be as big or as strong as Ben."
Poe sighed softly, "You won't have to be. That's how your... how your tie works. You're fast and he's strong. You can protect each other better that way, kid."
"Still... It's unfair."
"Life's unfair, baby." Dameron pushed himself from the wing and landed the few feet below with a soft grunt. "You gotta start getting used to that."
"Yeah... whatever."
There was a lull in their conversation then, the young pilot then returning to his work. However, it wasn't long that gray blue eyes took interest in watching him and Sage's face was void of emotion as she extended her hand outwards and a tray of his tools lifted from the portable cart he had rolled out there. She easily levitated it, rolling onto her back and the tools slowly drifted outwards from their container and scattered in the empty air above her. When she set them all afloat, she dropped her hand back down, one resting on her stomach while the other she used as a pillow beneath her head.
"You know..." the dark haired man started slowly, "Pouting and passive aggressively boycotting me leaving isn't a very Jedi thing to do." He teased her, "Or have you already forgotten about your little problem with attachments?"
"You of all people shouldn't be lecturing me on the Force, Poe Dameron. Ben and I are the ones who've taught you what little you know about it," the tools began to rotate slightly, each one gently spinning around it's own axis before it rotated around a larger one, like the nature of a galaxy. Sage then sighed heavily, "I just hate to watch you leave."
"You guys don't come around often either, I hate to see you guys leave, too. And it's not like I'm leaving forever, kiddo," he frowned down at his work before he moved to the wing of his ship, affixing the wrench to something inside an open panel so that he could tighten it. "You gonna miss me or somethin'?"
"...maybe..." She sighed, "Maybe a little... Maybe a lot."
"I don't get it."
Ren turned his head and looked at the boy who had risen from his place behind the ferns where he had once hidden himself. He had turned his dark eyes towards his older self and there was a familiar sadness in his eyes, one that he still saw echoed in the mirror everyday when he used his refresher. That was one thing that hadn't changed in the slightest.
The younger boy frowned softly, his eyes glassing with tears, "What does he have that we don't?"
"Nothing..." Ren murmurs, eyes turning back to the pair in the distance, how the two of them continued to converse animatedly. And yet, he had no inclination as to what they were saying because in this memory, his younger self had turned and left so that he wouldn't have to watch them anymore; wouldn't have to watch Sage fawn over the cocky pilot. "He is and has nothing compared to us."
He rose from his place where he was seated on a boulder a couple feet away and slowly walked towards the teenager whose dark eyes lifted so that he could stare the few extra inches up at his older self.
"Then why him? Why is Poe so special?" He was starting to get angry. But again, this wasn't surprising to Kylo. "F-First it's Dad," Oh, there was an unusually sharp ache in his chest. His lower lip trembled as he jabbed his finger back in their direction. "Poe is everything he wanted in a son. Everything we aren't—weren't. And now... Now he's stealing Sage from us, too. He's taken our everything and left us with nothing."
Force... The teenager sounded so broken.
For a moment, the knight's features were schooled into an expressionless mask, still watching as the two companions talked in the distance, a soft smile appearing on both their faces after Poe said something.
"What do we do...?" The boy sounded so far gone, his arms gesturing half-hearted outwards a moment before they flopped uselessly back to his sides.
Ren was silent as he stepped closer to his younger self, reaching out with his hand so that he could curl it behind the boy's head, his own head bowing slightly so that he could rest their foreheads together.
"We're about to do something irrational and stupid. And it's going to make things both better... and worse." Naive, wide eyes that were once his own stared openly back at him, still glassy and brimming with moisture. "Regardless, we're still going to do it."
The younger boy's lip trembled again and the tears ran over and spilled forth down his cheeks, "Do we... Do we ever win?"
A very faint and quick quirk of one corner of his mouth was present only a moment at the absurdity of the question. Still, for some reason, it made his heart do something strange in his chest.
Ren closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, "Yes... Yes, know that we win..." He was moving suddenly, tugging the younger boy into his arms, holding him close like so few in the galaxy ever held him. The boy was still a moment before he was gripping Ren back just as tightly, his face buried in his chest as his shoulders shook as he wept unabashedly.
Maker, he used to do so much crying.
Still, he lifted his head and watched as Sage laughed, the grin on her lips nearly splitting her face in half and his heart did the strange twanging it had before, "We win at least once."
It was a shame that young Ben Solo had never stuck around to hear the rest of the conversation between Sage and Poe.
"You gonna miss me or somethin'?"
"...maybe..." She sighed, "Maybe a little... Maybe a lot."
Poe scoffed at the absurdity of the situation yet nonetheless glanced at the girl, "Oh, I can't be that important."
Sage hummed softly, "You're just... Well, different company to keep." She shrugged her shoulders, her eyes staring off into the sky above, passed the floating tools and at the endless blue ozone. "I like the change sometimes."
"Heh, what? Are you getting tired of Ben Solo or something?" The blonde girl frowned softly as she listened to him, lifting her head as if to glance in his direction. "If so well... shit. That's gonna cause some problems with this little set up you've got going between the two of you."
Sage lay back down, both hands behind her head this time, "No... No, Ben's... special. He's an exception to that rule."
The pilot frowned hard and grit his teeth as he struggled to turn a rusted bolt. He pulled hard, pushing with most of his body weight onto the tool. And then it jolted free and he grunted, the bolt and wrench both turning easily now. "Yeah and that's cause you love him, right?"
"He's my best friend, Poe." Despite her insistence, she didn't sound so sure, "My bond-mate. Of course, I do."
Poe smiled deviously, knowingly glancing up at the wing above him, "Not like that, Sage."
She was quiet for a long moment, "I... I can't, Poe."
"But you still do...?" He held his breath but he already knew her answer regardless.
"...yeah."
With a heavy sigh, Sage trudged back into her quarters, for the day had been long. Exhausting even.
Coupled with the fact that the Force was always abuzz around her because of the numerous life-forces planet side, she had spent the better side of an afternoon and even part of her evening listening to subjects of council nature that had absolutely nothing to do with her. And it was frustrating to say the least. Especially when the arguing happened.
She didn't know how Leia did it.
Still, the council had been dismissed for the day, the General's own mind tired too of the arguments that never seemed to stop.
R2 rolled silently into the room behind her, the little droid somehow sensing that conversation was not appropriate at the moment. She released a groan as she shrugged her cloak from her shoulders, catching it so that she could place it on the bed covers once more. However, just as she was about to flop down onto the bed, there was a soft chiming at her door.
For a moment, her shoulders shrugged in defeat, her head bowing forward ever so slightly.
Carrying her weary self over to the door, she hit the release button with the side of her fist. As the mechanics engaged, she took in a deep breath and straightened herself from her hunched position. The image of strength and tirelessness was so important.
However, when the door slid open, she found that there was no one there.
Frowning softly, Sage's eyes searched the surrounding hallway but then there was a soft string of low boops filled the air, the sound coming from a spot closer to the floor. Her eyebrows raised when she looked down to find a little white and orange bot present—the same one she had saw before. He was looking up at her as he rocked side to side slightly, a tell-tale sign of the anxiety he was feeling, if droids could feel something akin to emotions, that is.
"Hello there," she said, her voice low and quiet, "Can I help you with something?" He let out a long string of low beeps and whistles, his auditory binary tone so much lower than R2's was. "Commander Dameron wishes to speak with me?" He chirped a few more times, rolling excitedly on his spherical little body. "Very well," she looked absentmindedly down the hall before she was stepping out of the room, leaving her cloak behind as the door slid closed.
The droid led her silently through the base for the most part, the only sounds around them the quiet lull of sentient beings working on base as well as the grating of his hull as he rolled across the floor. They passed by a few people here and there, a number of them different species. Some of them were human, some of them weren't. And some of them were a mixed, wonderful combination of both.
And for some reason, they all insisted on staring, their eyes always curious as they watched her go.
However, Sage nearly tripped over the droid as she was too busy herself observing the base that she didn't see him stop suddenly in front of her. When she accidentally kicked him—causing him to roll forward a few more feet—he rounded on her beeped loudly as if he were chastising her for such a thing.
"What? You honestly think I meant to kick you?" She crossed her arms over her chest and glowered down at the little thing. He seemed to almost be glaring back at her. "I'm sorry, alright? I didn't see you stop so suddenly and it's my fault. I promise it won't happen again." She sighed but was mildly pleased when the droid calmed slightly. He turned back to look at the doorway and he whistled lowly. "Ah, so we are here."
Reaching out, Sage pressed on the pad near the door and could faintly hear the chiming of the bells inside followed by a soft, "Come in." When the door hissed open, the droid immediately rolled inside, leaving the blonde to stand alone in the hallway for a bit before she too entered the room, her steps slow.
His room was a little more lavish compared to the one she was given, a larger, more open front living space with two couches and a coffee table between them. From what she could see, he had a paneled door that he could slide shut to cut his bedroom off from the rest of the room but the door was now left open, the light from the setting star painting the entirety of the room in warm reds and oranges. The sunset glow silhouetted the pilot's form from where he stood leaning against the doorframe to his balcony. Beyond that, the crystal blue lake sparkled in the dying light, the sun just beginning to dip down behind the distant mountains.
The little droid rolled forward and nudged her gently in the leg, prodding her to go forward. She gazed down at him a moment as he did so but complied without a fuss, the soft soles on her boots quiet against the large burnt orange rug he had splayed across the cold, concrete floor.
When he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, Poe turned back to look at her then, his ebony curls tossing in the wind as he offered Sage a small smile, "Hey, kiddo."
She offered him a small formal dip of her head in greeting, "Commander Dameron." When she straightened herself out, she stood rigid as she addressed him. "You asked to speak with me?"
He lowered his gaze, dropping it almost sheepishly as he tucked his hands into his back pockets, the smile still gracing his features. He scuffed his foot across the ground a couple times.
He was still dressed in his orange jumpsuit but it was unzipped, the arms tied around his waist to reveal the white tank top that he wore underneath. The silver chain that held his dog tags was looped over his neck, the tags themselves hidden beneath his shirt.
"Even in my own room, you're still going to be so formal?"
She didn't comment but allowed her eyes to fall, her weight shifting awkwardly back and forth on her feet. "That's... That's who I am now, I suppose. You're a ranking officer now."
Poe frowned softly and pushed off the wall so that he could walk towards her, down the single step up from the balcony. His arms were still crossed over his chest. He was now only a few feet away, "You've really changed that much?"
"Ten years is a long time, Commander," she tried lamely, her gaze still unable to meet his, "You don't understand..." She shook her head slightly. "So, so much has happened and—"
"Yeah, I know, kid," He said softly. "The galaxy has gone to shit all at once but I haven't changed that much." He reached out grabbed the front of her robes lightly so that he could pull her in towards him. Their chests collided and he circled his arms around her before she could even fathom stopping him.
For a moment, Sage was still, her body rigid before she felt her resolve absolutely shatter, the warm safety of his arms doing the job. Her arms snaked around him as well: one around his shoulders while the other curled beneath his own to fist in the fabric of his shirt. She gripped him hard in return, her hands fisting in his shirt. Her head slowly dropped to his shoulder and he squeezed her back just as tightly when he felt her surrender to her true emotions.
Their embrace was so immensely cathartic for the both of them. And it seemed Sage hadn't changed as much as she had thought.
Poe's eyes burned beneath his lids as his rough hand gently stroked her hair, his trembling lips pressing to her temple as he continued to hold her, just breathing. And they just remained that way for awhile, grasping at each other as if, if they pulled apart, the galaxy would scatter them apart forever once more.
He began to murmur soft words into her hair and cheek, his sweet mother language rolling off his tongue in terms of sweet, sweet endearment that he breathed into what felt like her very being, "Lo siento, mi bella amiga—Mi amada chica—Lo siento porque-porque—" She hadn't heard nor spoke the language in years, the very last time having been when she conversed with Poe himself on the day where he had walked away and left, returned to the Resistance, leaving his friends behind.
He'd taught her when they had been small and visited the base or came to Yavin 4 with Luke. And her young mind had picked up on it easily enough but being out of practice, she couldn't identify many of the words but judging by his tone, they were sweet nonetheless.
She easily recognized I'm sorry and so she shushed him gently, her hand rubbing his back to help soothe him for a bit, the quiet room filled with only the sounds of the lake and forested mountains in the distance behind them.
"Everyone... Everyone was sure you were..." He swallowed thickly suddenly as he spoke, the words suddenly so difficult to say. And yet he thought about her and what happened so often, "Was sure you were—"
"I know," Sage said softly, her hand absentmindedly toying with the soft curls at the nape of his neck. "I know but that's what we—what I—wanted. And I'm sorry but there was nothing we could do. Nowhere else we could go. We were out of options, Poe. And this was the only one that would keep Master Luke and I safe."
He laughed but the noise sounded so distressed, "You could have come to me. I could have taken you somewhere—anywhere—and they wouldn't have found you. Yavin, maybe but..." He sighed heavily against her and tightened his grip on her, unwilling to let go. "But, I always knew. Knew that you were still alive, somewhere, out there in the galaxy." He laughed again, the sound still strangled, "It had to be the goddamn Force."
"Poe..."
"When General Organa mentioned a map to find Luke, I was the first one to volunteer. Because if I found Luke, I knew I would find you. And we searched for so long and when I finally found Lor San Tekka—"
Sage couldn't help it when she pulled back, holding the man at arms length before her. Her blue eyes were wide as she stared back at him, "You... You found Tekka?"
Poe smiled that wry smile of his, his hands gently cupping her face, "Absolutely wouldn't stop talking about you." However, his smile slowly fell. "But someone... The First Order, they somehow got a lead that we were looking for the map. That we'd found Tekka on Jakku. And they came to the village for the map." He swallowed thickly and his eyes fell away from her. "I sent BB away with the map. They killed everyone in that village, captured me." However, he lifted his gaze and looked directly at her, his eyes holding her own. "Kylo Ren was there; gave the order. I'm... I'm sorry, Sage." He shook his head but still held her gaze, "He cut down Tekka."
When he saw the hopeful glint in her eyes extinguish, he frowned softly and drew her to him once more. His arms circled around her just the same and held her close for awhile. And again, Sage held on right back.
He pressed a kiss to her hair once more, "I'm so sorry, kiddo. I know that he meant a lot to you."
"He was... my friend. Another mentor." She sighed and allowed herself to relax further in Poe's arms. "He taught me some things even Master Luke did not know. Taught us both." She swallowed thickly and stepped out of his embrace.
"I... I saw him... Ben," Poe shook his head softly, "I don't know why but thought that you, that both of you had—"
"In a way we did die, Poe." Sage sighed, eyes closing as she took a few paces away from him. The pilot frowned softly and took a seat on his bed, eyes never leaving the Jedi bathed in the dying sunlight, "Together and all at once."
"Shit..." Poe shook his head as he raked his fingers through his hair. "Sage, what even happened? Everything was fine one day and then the next... It was like—" He shrugged his shoulders helplessly, his mind racing for words that he didn't know how to piece together. "It all just happened so fast. And Leia and the rest of the council were in absolute panic 'case the Jedi were just gone—"
"No... I saw what was happening and I didn't say a word," the blonde herself shook her head as if in disbelief, "I thought that I could fix him, take away all that was ailing him. I thought I could make him better. And instead... in the end, I was the one to break him."
"Hey," Poe said softly, frowning as he rose back to his feet, "Kid, it's not your fault. It was bound to happen—"
"I know!" Sage growled, her voice cracking as her fists clenched. Everything in his room trembled on what little shelving he had and the lights overhead flickered for a moment. "I... I know..."
Well, that's new, Poe thought.
"Do you know how many times I've been told that, Poe? That it wasn't my fault, that none of it was? That the slaughter of nearly 30 prospective Jedi and the fall of our New Order wasn't my fault?" She leaned her forearm against the doorframe of his balcony, her head bowed low as it hung between her shoulders. "Maker…" She sighed, "I was so… so fucking stupid."
It was almost unheard of for Sage to swear after adopting her monk-like lifestyle. So immediately, this caught Poe's direct attention.
"Sage, stop it. You need to let it go. You can't change the past." He walked forward to lean on the doorway opposite her, his spine braced against the stone as he stowed his hands in his pockets. "We need you now though, here, in the present. And in the future. You're our only hope."
The blonde scoffed at the absurdity and irony of his words. She shook her head slightly.
"And what the hell is with this attitude? With the swearing?" It was now Poe's turn to call her out. "With the Force-bursts? Ben used to do that when he was young and angry."
For a long while, Sage was quiet, her arms crossing themselves over her chest as she leaned her shoulder on the door.
"I don't know..." She said softly, "It's almost cathartic being around you." She smiled slightly, almost nervously. She risked a glance over at him. "I thought I was better than that thought. Stronger than that. But it seems I'm reverting back to my childish self when I've spent so much time becoming so much more than that."
"Good because I kinda liked your childish self," Poe teased her lightly smiling over at her. He got a small grin in return, her eyes sheepishly fixing themselves on her boots. "You're too serious now. Not much fun." He meant to tease but found that his humor did not transfer over into your own person.
"I'm sorry I've disappointed you. That I didn't become what you expected. But this… this is who I have to be now. There is little time for childishness in war."
"Even a little time is still time, Sage," he sighed, hanging his head slightly as he shook it, "No… No, you've far passed my expectations, kid." He slowly raised his head to level her with a soft look, his eyes glistening in what might have been awe, "Maker, I don't even need to see you in action to know how strong you've become. I don't have trained abilities in the Force and even I can feel you in it. Bright and shinning like a celestial star among the void of planetary bodies the rest of us are."
His words, despite their elegance as a veiled compliment, made her laugh softly at their absurdity, "Oh, so you're a poet now, Poe?" She smiled widely at him. "How becoming of you."
The pilot himself grinned over at her, grateful for the change of subject, "Oh, in your absence, you should know that I've become very skilled in the art of wooing people and seduction." He waggled his eyebrows playfully.
She snorted, "You always did know how to talk yourself out of any situation."
"Like you didn't do the same countless times. Literally."
"Oh, hush you." She teased him, rolling her eyes as she straightened slightly. "But really... Do you have a lucky Resistance soldier, though? I'm sure they're all throwing themselves at you waxing poetic like that. Surely there's someone that has caught the Commander's eye?" She teased.
She swore that Poe blushed then, cheeks flushing a soft pink as he chuckled softly and shifted in place, a shy smile forming on his lips. His actions alone spoke volumes more than words could.
"Well... I, uh... I guess there's this kid—"
"Oh, Poe."
He groaned and held his hands up in defeat, "Okay, well he's not really a kid, alright? That's not what I meant. But there is... someone..." Sage was the one to smile softly then. "What about you, though, kiddo?"
The Jedi's smile slowly fell and Poe suddenly regretted asking the question. She lowered her eyes to her boots, her voice soft as she spoke, "You already know the answer to that, Poe."
And he did, though, he wasn't entirely sure what she meant.
He wasn't sure if she meant that she couldn't in regards to the age old Jedi vow to decline attachments and love. Or if she might have meant that there was only one name that she could ever use as an answer to that question.
And if she meant the latter, that name wasn't Poe Dameron.
The man frowned softly and turned his head back out to the mountains for a moment, regarding the serenity, "You wanna get a drink with me, kid?"
Her lips twitched, "No, thank you."
"Then what about food?" He offered, throwing his arms out wide as he grinned at her in an attempt to lighten the mood, "You've been in meetings all day, you said. You're probably hungry. And everyone needs to eat."
"Okay." Sage said slowly, her lips twitching up fractionally.
"That settles it. Come on, kid," he tugged on her wrist and then slung his arm over her shoulder as they began to walk towards his front door. "Let's find you some food. And we can talk some more."
Woof.
Hey, guys! I'm back (even though I was never really gone). Sorry I was away for the time being. It's just that the last month (and a half) have been crazy busy for me what with the semester drawing to a close and finals happening. Even on break, my parents like to keep me busy, don't like me sitting around on my computer writing all the time (cause that's what I do now every possible second that I can).
But yeah, I hoped you all liked it!
We're starting to get more character interaction between them all and yay! We finally have Finn AND Poe in the story. Noice. I love writing all the different character interaction, honestly. For awhile, I was just getting stuck in a rut with the four characters we had at the time so this is going to be fun!
What to look for ahead: Further interaction with Leia, Further interaction with Poe (maybe a lot, I'm not sure yet), Sage finally gets to meet Finn (and this is interesting), a couple interrogations may happen, the girls play with their glow sticks of death and people watch, maybe some morning meditation... Maybe more Force-tomfuckery? On both ends of the spectrum this time...?
Either way, it's going to be wild.
And also, wtf is with Sage's sudden dark attitude around Poe? Where the hell did that come from?
Tell me what you think about it!
Also, I'd like to thank all those who reviewed, commented, subscribed/favorited/followed, and to those who left a kudo. You guys mean the world to me :)
I'll just be going then so... YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!
Love,
Blue
P.S. I had this chapter written and ready to go last night but my thoughts and prayers are with Carrie's family. Our princess will be sorely missed but she is now one with the Force. Rest in Peace, Space Momma.