This afterlife gig was crap. Everything was dark and there were muffled voices in the distance? Was he doomed to an eternity of annoyance for being too much of a smartass? Probably. People never liked the guy with the witty comeback. And what was with that pain in his shoulder? And all over his body? This was not what he had signed up for. Granted, he had never been great at the whole practicing religion thing. But he knew the Force was a thing. He knew Jedi, surely that should get him a ticket to an afterlife where all the ships ran smoothly and fast and where he was surrounded by beautiful people at all times who adored his brand of humour. He had died for the goddamn Force! He expected better than this.
"I think he's coming round." The voice was less muffled and Poe could pick out words now. Yes. He was coming around. To the realisation that being dead sucked. He'd never done it before, he hadn't known what to expect, but this wasn't it.
"POE!" The voice was garbled but he recognised it.
"No… You can't be here." Poe's voice was equally muffled and garbled. Could he not even enjoy his own dulcet tones in this void he was doomed to for eternity?!
"It's okay, Zoomer. I'm here. It's gonna be fine."
"Tata no…" There was a harsh light suddenly, he squinted against.
"You haven't called me that in a long time, Ping Pong." Poe realised he was squinting and he was hurting. He had been a fool to think he was dead. It suddenly came rushing in to him that he was viscerally and painfully alive. It was glorious.
"Oh shitting hell." Poe groaned. He started to pick out shapes in the light. People were standing around him. There were short ones, tall hairy ones, dark ones, and then there was his father sitting right beside him. He felt his father, smoothing back his hair.
"You need a haircut and a shave. And watch that language. Your mother raised you better than that."
"Mom swore all the time." Poe could see more clearly now. Standing just beyond his dad was Dara, wringing her hands and looking extremely anxious.
"I met this man a while back and he helped me, so I brought you here. It looks like you two know each other, so that's good." Poe struggled to sit up.
"Dara meet Kes Dameron, my Father." If it was possible for the malnourished Princess to become paler, she did.
"Your… Your Dad?" Poe smiled a little, a small laugh escaping him, followed by a terrible bout of coughing. He was back in his childhood home, on the bed he had slept in for a large portion of his life, surrounded by things he had kept as a child, and some remnants of his adult life. His father had kept every certificate, medal and trophy that Poe had earned, and there were a lot of them. His achievements were like a wallpaper in this room. To him it simply told him how much his father loved him and how very proud of him he was.
Kes stood up and took a look at Dara.
"So you're Han's girl?" Dara nodded mutely. With a touch of amusement, Poe noted that he had never seen Dara look so terrified in her life. "He was a good friend of mine back in the day. He'd be very proud of you. I'm sure you know that, but he would." Poe saw Dara's bottom lip quiver and her eyes crinkle up in an effort to push back tears. Kes noticed this as well, and decided to give her a second. "Poe, I patched you up as best I could and transfused a little blood over. You're on a drip, so try not to flail your arms too much, son. There's a good lad." He nodded then, made his way from the room. Chewbacca bleated after his father. Of course they would have known each other. Poe became aware of the needle biting into his hand. He drew a breath through his teeth. He hated needles. He felt a wave nausea, but he maintained control of his stomach. Rey smiled at the end of Poe's bed, and squeezed his blanketed foot, awkwardly.
"You'll be fine. We're gonna take care of you now, for once." Rey left the room, leaving only Finn and Dara with him. Finn's eyes darted around, and he looked like he wanted to say something.
"Spit it out." Poe said, a smile in his voice. He decided he liked being alive again. Well. Still. But seeing all their faces was much better than that blackness and muffled noise.
"You're an idiot. You could have died. What would any of us do then?! Don't do something dumb like that again!" Finn looked like he was winding up into a full-on tirade.
"Finn… Come on." Dara's tone was admonishing, and firm. She drew herself up to her full height, and was more of a reigning Princess than ever before.
"Fine. I'm gone. Doesn't change the fact that he's a fool." Finn stormed out, but Poe could see that he was shaking.
"He shouldn't have said that." Dara said. They were alone now and she took the chair beside Poe's bed.
"He was just scared. He cares about me. Can't be angry at him for that." It was touching, if truth be told. Knowing people cared about him did wonders for him. He felt happy, and very lucky to have such good people.
"I think he loves you actually. You did name him. Free him. Help him have more of an identity. Set him on a course that makes him proud of himself. Happy. He owes you a lot. And he worships the ground you walk on."
"Are you jealous?" he looked up at her face, and saw that the corners of her mouth were drawn down a little. She smiled when she caught his gaze. She took up his hand in hers.
"Maybe a little. But you're right. Can't hate him for caring about you." Poe felt the warmth of her hand. She looked clean, and her skin had regained some of its colour. Her hazel eyes were warm and filled with emotion, and he could see her thinking in there. Could see that spark of intelligence.
"So you're still you?" She dipped her eyes and took a steadying breath. Poe felt another wave of nausea. He closed his eyes against the overwhelming sensation and clamped his mouth shut. Maybe that blurry darkness hadn't been all bad.
"For the most part I'm still me. Yes." His eyes snapped open. The fall of her long white hair tickled his arm, but he didn't care. His eyes were on her beautiful face. She had picked up a few scratches and a new scar along her jaw. This journey hadn't been easy for her. She still had the ghost of terror on her features. She must have been so scared and lonely, chasing something that was impossible.
"What do you mean, for the most part?" She was avoiding looking at him. "Dara…" She took another breath.
"I saw things, okay. I saw the dead. The temple made me see my loved ones suffer. And I met every Jedi that had become one with the Force. But I also met myself. What I could have been if I walked on the Dark Side of the Force. I had to become her. I'm not the same. I'm not the good person you met. I'm not pure and good." Poe resisted the overwhelming urge to roll his eyes with great difficulty.
"You know, normal people aren't predetermined as pure or evil. What really matters is the choices we make. There isn't actually an all-knowing power out there that determines who you are. You define yourself. So if you make the right choices, won't you be just the same? If you have powers from the Dark Side but you don't abuse them, then won't you be a good Jedi?" She opened her mouth to protest. She struggled for a while, spluttering out the odd word here and there, but ultimately she said nothing.
"You thought you would go into that temple and find some great power, didn't you?"
"But I was already powerful. I just didn't see it."
"Was that temple seriously just a confidence boost?" She smiled and gave his hand a squeeze.
"No. All jedi were like me once. Tempest. They wanted to live a life that was balanced right smack in the middle between the light side and the dark side of the Force, without giving in to the darkness. It was a test to them. Anyone who gave in… Didn't come out." Poe's breath caught in his throat. That could have been her. So yes, there had been a big risk in her going to that temple. It wasn't the case that she would never have emotions again. He could chalk that one up to a breakdown in translation. But it was the case that she may never have come out again.
"So… Can you do different things now?" That sounded incredibly stupid to his own ears. He closed his eyes in disbelief at his own stupidity.
"Yes." He was relieved to hear a laugh.
"I'm sorry. That was… dumb." She waved a hand.
"It's fine. Yes. I think passing their test let me see more. I can talk to all the ghosts if I want to. I can do things I never thought I could. I'm allowing myself to feel more, and I think that makes me more powerful." Poe, in the haze of antibiotics and painkillers, smiled up at Dara, touching his hand to her face.
"I missed you, Princess." She took his hand into her own.
"I know." After a moment staring into his eyes, she spoke again. "I missed you too. So much." He was very glad that she hadn't apologised for leaving. He didn't want an apology. He was glad that she had the initiative to get up and do what was needed, no matter how dangerous.
"I'm proud of you. You were brave where nobody else would have been. You're an incredible woman, you know that?" She chuckled.
"You're getting sentimental." Try to get some rest hero. When you wake next someone might actually have cooked some food." It was Poe's turn to laugh.
"My dad is the chef. Talk to him."