"They're late," said Jyn, looking down at the black brick phone again as if she could will it to ring. "It's three past nine now. They're late."
Cassian opened his mouth to say something, and shut it again. God knows he didn't have any concrete solutions to placate Jyn with. He saw her look back up at the clock and frown. Without thinking he reached out a hand and placed it on hers, only realising that he did so when she turned to look back into his eyes. He didn't pull his hand away, afraid that if he did it would seem as though his initial gesture was a mistake. So instead he ignored the self consciousness sniping that now emerged in the back of his mind and spoke instead.
"Jyn, I know we both want to know what's going on, why we're here, what this all means, but regardless of whether or not it will be Chirrut on the other end, we'll find a way forward. Both of us, I promise."
He couldn't quite place the look on her face as her eyes searched his and Cassian suddenly and inopportunely became very conscious of fact that the palm of his free hand had ever so slightly begun to sweat - which meant that when it came to the other hand...
He almost let out an audible sigh of relief when the phone rang; a dreadful, tinny tone that made him want to grit his teeth in displeasure. Jyn snatched up the phone quickly and brought it to her ear.
"Hello?" she said. "Yes, it is Jyn Erso. Oh - great, yes, we'd love to speak to him. Yes, do put him on the other line."
When they had called the previous day excitement had quickly turned into anxiety as the person they were looking for - this mysterious blind monk - was not in the monastery that had taken him in. Moreover, the friendly woman on the other end of the line told them that the monk refused to speak to almost everyone, be that the press or anyone trying to come in to the monastery to identify him. But nevertheless, they had agreed to call Jyn back the following day at nine in the morning UK time if they managed to persuade the mysterious man to talk to her on the phone after having received their names. And now here they both were, on the phone with someone that for reasons both of them had not discussed with the other, both Cassian and Jyn hoped was Chirrut.
"Hello?" he heard Jyn say. "... oh Chirrut. Chirrut it is you! It is you!"
She looked up from the phone, a broad smile on her face and she grasped Cassian's arm tightly.
"Tell me, are you okay?" she said. "The people there, have they been treating you alright -"
And then she dropped her voice into a whisper.
"Do you have any idea what's going on?"
Her eyes caught Cassian's again as she listened intently to the reply coming from the other end of the phone.
"You don't either... well, is there any way the people there can get you to us? We're -"
He saw Jyn bite her lip in thought.
"Well, we're not imprisoned, but we're unable to come to you. It's - it's complicated..."
"I can ask," said Chirrut, Jyn listening closely on the end of the line. "They speak a language here I am not quite familiar with. It seems vaguely familiar to one that I spoke on my home planet, but there are a few differences. I have been communicating with them in Basic, though they call it 'English' here."
"That's to do with the country we're in," Jyn said quickly, glad to be able to say something that she actually sure of. "We are in a country called England which is part of a bigger state called the United Kingdom. And the country you're in - Cassian and I looked it up - it's called Hong Kong and that's part of a bigger state called China, though I think it was looked after by the United Kingdom for a while but it all seems a little confusing..."
"Are you well?" she heard come through on the other line, his voice steady, calm, the same Chirrut who had gently grasped her hand when she was angry and about to rip into Cassian after Eadu.
"We are," said Jyn. "Alive, eating food, currently feeling non-threatened. It's a nice change."
"I'm glad."
"They have things called phones here that allow short range communications. Very short range. We had to get a new one just to be able to call you because you're in a different state. Can you imagine!"
"I can," she heard light laughter through the receiver. "Look, Jyn. It's quite late here, and I don't want to take advantage of their phone system. I will find a way to call you again at the same time next week."
"Do you have this email thing that they have on this planet?"
"I do not think so, no."
"Okay," Jyn sighed. "I will talk to you the same time next week."
"Jyn," she heard him say, his voice firm. "I know you want answers, that you want to understand what's going on. I will try to find out what I can as well."
Jyn smiled and saw Cassian's eyebrows raise questioningly.
'All good things,' she mouthed. 'All good things.'
"Until next week, then."
"Until then. Goodbye Chirrut. I'm glad it's you. I'm glad you're here."
It was as though she could hear him smiling on the other end of the phone.
"Us Rogue One team have to stick together, do we not?"
"Yes," she said. "Yes we do."
They sat together that evening eating burgers and fries that they had walked out together to buy. Cassian had put music on in the background that Jyn was not familiar with but that she enjoyed.
She popped the last fry in her mouth and watched Cassian as he wandered around the kitchen, clearing up some of the paper wrappers. Jyn cleaned up her fingers with the wipe and looked back up to see Cassian holding out a hand.
"Hm?" she asked.
"Want to dance, Jyn Erso? We've got something to celebrate, after all."
She might have said no, would have said no in their old world, but there was something about the song that he had just turned up, something about the smile on his face, something about the fact that they had found Chirrut and it felt like the first step forward they had taken in a long time in this new world.
She took Cassian's hand, and they danced until the rays of the sun could be seen through the dusty glass of the windows.
