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It didn't take long at all for Rey to fall in love with Yavin IV.
Of course, you could say she fell for the planet before they had even landed; seeing all that green made her so happy. The atmosphere as soon as she stepped off the ship had only increased her affection, the Uneti tree had amazed and humbled her, the food was amazing, and Kes Dameron was as charming as his son. All these things together made this place an absolute joy.
But as with all good things, that joy couldn't last forever.
Kes had settled her into the guest room of his little house not long after their meal ended, and Rey quickly realized she had never slept in such comfort before. Even the short stays in hostels and guest houses when on missions were never this nice and inviting. The bedroom had a large window that looked out onto Kes' garden, and though the bed was small, it was the coziest bed she had ever slept on. Much better than the cot she used when she was on base.
She slept well that first night, feeling safe and secure, which was a rare thing for her. But as soon as she opened her eyes the next morning, her mind began to swirl with remembered incidences from the day before. Dar and his obvious flirting with her. Kes' mention of Saramia and Poe's reaction to her. The holos she had stopped to take a closer look at when they came back to the house after getting their belongings from the ship, especially the ones with a beautiful young woman with Poe's thick, curly hair. His mother.
While she felt at home here in the Dameron household, there was more than a bit of discomfort at the knowledge that she was in essence invading Poe's personal life, however inadvertently. It was obvious to her that he had a history with this Saramia, and that while he was friends with Dar, he had seemed uncomfortable with the man's attention toward her. Or maybe she was just imagining things? The idea that Poe Dameron could be jealous of another man flirting with her was… well, she couldn't say it didn't appeal to her, but it was also very unlikely. The fact was, she sort of felt like she had walked into someone else's drama without any advance warning, and she wasn't completely sure she wanted any part of it.
She cared for Poe, no doubt about it, but her friendship with him had always had a strange formality to it. He treated her a lot like he treated Leia, with an air of respectful affection. She wasn't sure if it was because of her status as an almost-Jedi or something else. While she accepted that they would never be best buddies like he and Finn were, some days she would see him with Finn or the pilots under his command and envy their closeness with him. The way he joked with them, laughed with them, touched them. His fondness for his friends was obvious and he was a very tactile person.
He was never like that with her.
Now here she was, staying in his father's house with him, having already met one of his old friends and most likely would meet more, not to mention the odds of meeting his ex-girlfriend… She wasn't sure why that last prospect unnerved her so much. It wasn't as if he didn't have any ex-lovers back on base. Or at least she had always assumed there were, though she couldn't say who they might be. While Poe was warm and loving to all his friends, he never seemed to focus on any one person more than any other. And she needed to stop thinking about him like that.
Rey pulled herself out of the comfy bed and got dressed, already hearing activity in the main part of the house. She left the bedroom and headed down the hall, through the living room, and into the kitchen. Both Dameron men were moving around the small space, conversing and working together as if they hadn't been apart for the last several years. Rey stopped in the doorway and watched them quietly for some time, enjoying their playful banter. As they continued to prepare the morning meal, she noted the similarities between them, as well as the differences.
Poe glanced at her at one point, a small smirk on his face, letting her know that he knew she was there, but he didn't say anything. Eventually, she moved all the way in and sat at the table. The room smelled amazing, and Rey gave a brief thought that if they stayed too long, both she and Poe were liable to gain too much weight.
"Good morning, Rey, my dear!" Kes sang out as he poured her a cup of caf. She couldn't help but grin at his attentions. Eventually, both men settled at the table with her, their plates laden with Ikopi sausage, scrambled Tip-yip eggs, and hot cakes. It was by far the best breakfast Rey had ever had.
"Do you eat like this every day, or is this just because I'm here?" she asked them.
"Guaranteed he wouldn't have cooked like this just for me," Poe said, essentially answering her question.
They all ate silently for a while, with Rey's mind wandering as she began to think about the days ahead of her. Finally, she had to ask. "So, what are we supposed to do on this 'vacation'?"
Poe shrugged. "Well, I plan to take advantage of it and sleep as much as possible. Catch up on some reading. Hang out at Clint's."
"Clint's?"
Kes snorted. "Poe's favorite cantina in the village," he answered Rey. "The best and the worst place around here."
"Best and worst, huh?" Rey smiled.
"It's a great place to meet with friends and have a good time, but it can get a little rowdy on occasion," Poe explained. "Do they still have live music?" he asked his father.
"Most of the time," Kes nodded.
"I'll have to take Rey on a night they do," he said with a smile. "She loves music."
Rey felt her face heat. The fact that he knew that about her made her wonder what other personal things he knew. It made her feel a bit awkward, but also excited. She wasn't going to think about why. Instead, she swallowed the bite of food she had just taken and looked at Kes.
"I don't think I'll be very good at doing nothing. Do you have any jobs I can do around here?"
Kes laughed. "I am not putting you to work, Rey. But I will show you around the property after breakfast."
Kes was true to his word and gave Rey the grand tour of the Dameron farm. Rey met the few animals Kes kept around, all of whom were essentially pets, though the Nuvu cow did give him milk on a regular basis. She met the handful of droids that Kes kept on hand; none of them seemed to be programed to do more than Kes himself did, and Kes explained to her that he preferred to do most of the work himself. At the end of the tour, she got to partake in a freshly picked Koyo fruit. It was amazing.
Just one more thing to add to her list of why she loved Yavin IV.
She tried to settle in and relax, watching Poe as he spent a great deal of the next couple of days reclined on a hammock out in the yard, reading and sleeping. Doing exactly what he said he wanted to do. But Rey just couldn't be lazy like that. She enjoyed reading, but she couldn't do it for too long before she had the almost panicked urge to do something physical. She practiced with Luke's newly repaired lightsaber. She tried to meditate by the Uneti tree. And finally, during the late morning on their third day, she walked to the Grand Temple.
It was while she was walking around the base of the impressive monolithic stone building that Darkurr Naughtstrum found her.
"Hey!" he smiled. "I was hoping to see you again."
"You were?" Rey wasn't really sure how to respond to the man.
Instead of answering, he asked, "Do you want a tour?"
Glancing at the temple, then back at the handsome man before her, Rey nodded.
"Yes. Yes, I would."
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