Poe disentangled himself from his bed in the ship that had both Rey and Finn sleeping peacefully. They cuddled up closer together when Poe left. Those two were probably in love, and Poe wasn't a part of that. He was okay with that. He enjoyed the aspect of the relationship he was involved in and he still got to be really great friends with these two incredible people. His emotional capacity was taken up with worry for Dara anyways. She wouldn't talk to him. Or anyone. Only Luke in the capacity of training her. He was worried about where she was going with her life. He dressed himself in his warmest clothes. It was cold in the morning on this planet. He headed out of the ship and left for a walk. Walking in the cold morning air helped him to think. He needed to make things right with Dara. He needed to get over her too. He needed to stop feeling that tight knot in his stomach every time he thought about her. She had some supernatural grip on him. This wasn't normal. Poe didn't get so invested and hung up on people. He had the sort of relationship he had with Finn and Rey where it was fun and not at all serious. Dara was a very serious pursuit. And it just wasn't like him at all. When he made his way to the cliffs he saw someone had beaten him to it. Her long white hair blew in the bracing wind. Her clothes were black as always, tight to her body with the gale.
He made the decision to not run away. He came to stand level with her, staring out at the sea. The sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs below filled his ears. He looked over at her. Tears had stained her face and were continuing to run down her face. She made to leave again.
"Please stay." he shouted into the roaring wind. She stopped and turned back around. She was heartbreaking to look at. So beautiful and unobtainable. So hurt. They stared into each other's eyes for a time. Poe felt tears gather in his own eyes. Whether it was from the wind or any emotion, he could never be sure. Suddenly that bracing wind stopped with a wave of Dara's hand. Her hair fell around her shoulders in a wild mess. Her power unnerved him. It scared him. Nobody should have that much power.
"I scare you. I can feel it. This is what I am!" He could see that the waves below were still crashing. The wind was still flattening the grass. But it didn't touch them. "You're with Finn." she said stiffly. He knew that that had been upsetting her.
"You told me under no uncertain circumstances that we could never be together. I have a right to seek companionship elsewhere." She looked angry, and he could feel the bubble they were in become more constricting.
"But I have feelings for you." she said through gritted teeth. Poe closed his eyes and massaged his forehead. Things were such a mess.
"Dara... One minute you like me, then you pull out a blaster. Then you like me again, then we can't be together. You really going to do this to me again? Just because you see me with someone else. It doesn't work that way. I'm not a plaything..." Dara looked stung. She actually took a step back and the wind howled through for a second.
"You're right." She sat on the ground and looked utterly defeated. The wind howled around them fully again, and a chill ran down Poe's spine. He sat across from her and took her hands in his. She let him take her hands. He kissed the back of both of them, frustrated and wishing that things weren't so damn complicated.
"Dara… Please try to understand. I didn't do any of this to hurt you. I know it probably did anyways, but I don't want that at all." She didn't cry or pull away from him.
"I've messed this up so much. I wasn't lying, it was all real. When I met you it was all real, but I was scared. I knew who you were. But you got to me. I thought it wouldn't matter, I thought I could just ignore it. I knew I'd have to go back to this. To being the Tempest. But I can't do it, Poe! I'm too invested!" It all came tumbling out of her, and he squeezed her hands in comfort. Things could have been so much easier between them. He thought he might have even come to love her. He put his arms around her and held her close. She nestled into him, and he buried his face in her hair. They sat together for a time in the wind. He couldn't think what to do. He was conflicted. Emotionally, he was very much invested in Dara. But he loved his involvement with Finn and Rey. They were sweet to be around. They were all friends. The other two had a great emotional attachment, and Poe was their cool friend who hung out with them sometimes. At least that's how he liked to think about it. But Dara kept pulling on his heartstrings.
"What are we going to do Dara?" She cuddled in closer to him, gripping him tightly to her.
"Come away with me." she pleaded. Poe took some space to look at her. She was so beautiful. She knew it too. Knew that her beauty would work to charm him every time.
"What do you mean? You need to be here." She shook her head.
"No. I don't. I'm a full jedi. I'm more powerful than my master, and there is work that needs to be done. Nobody knows who I am. I can get so much information on Kylo Ren. I need to know where he is. I have to stop him." Poe was worried. Luke had been right. Dara was obsessing over Ren. She wanted revenge. The path to the dark side.
"You're focusing on revenge, Dara. That isn't good for you. Revenge consumes the best of people. You need to let it go."
"I can't!" she snapped. Tears started to flow again. What had he done? "Kylo Ren…. Ben… He's my brother." Poe's mind reeled. He stood up and walked away. He felt a tightening in his stomach and felt that he would retch. Kylo Ren. Ben Solo. Dara's sister. The General's son. Had tortured him. Kylo Ren was possibly now Poe's biggest fear. And Dara was of the same blood as him. If he had eaten anything that morning, he probably would have retched. But then he very rationally thought about the absolute torture Dara must be going through. Her brother had killed her father. She must be sickened by the thought at every turn. He came back to her and held her close again.
"Dara I'm sorry. For everything." She took a shaky breath.
"Will you come with me? To Coruscant. You can tell my mother. It'll be fine. She can't control me. But you're her best pilot." He could tell she was trying to make like of this dark situation they found themselves in. But this was grave stuff indeed.
"I'm here for you Dara. You're my mission. You're my friend. And you need me right now. So I'll go. I'll tell the others when they wake." There was silence for a moment.
"You slept with them both, didn't you?"
"Dara… You don't need to know." But that answer pretty much confirmed it for her.