Serendipity // Poe Dameron

•Chapter I: Stranded on Jakku•

The planet Jakku, Inner Rim, 34 ABY

"One quarter portion?! You can't be serious."

Sora's face was consorted in anger, her eyebrows raised in disbelief. Brown eyes glaring him into the ground, she stared at Unkar Plutt, the unspoken ruler of the Niima Outpost. She had only known the merchant for two years and each time she saw him, the young woman had a hard time trying to stop herself from punching him in his face.

If it wasn't for Rey, her personified voice of reason, she probably would have done so already.

"Does it look like I am joking to you, sweetheart?"

All but snarling at the Crolute, Sora felt her blood boil in her veins. "Listen here you dipshi-"

Once more, the scavenger quickly came to her aid, not wanting for them to get on Unkar's bad side. They needed food and every portion was valuable, no matter the size. "What she meant to say was thank you. We'll take it."

Rey took the small package of dried meat and stuffed it into her bag. Her other hand quickly grabbed Sora's arm to pull her away from Unkar's hut. She knew her friend would try to negotiate (or well, what her definition of negotiating was) and they couldn't take the risk.

Sora huffed but followed Rey wordlessly, sending Unkar one last angry glare before she turned around and left the junk boss behind her. She could feel his smug smile which instantly made her want to slap it off his ugly face.

As if she could read her thoughts, Rey put her arm around Sora's shoulder. "Come on Sora, I'm starving." It was both a friendly gesture and a way to stop the young woman from doing something that would come back to bite them in the ass later.

Sighing softly, Sora let her shoulders relax. She knew her scavenger friend was right and she was thankful for her intervention. Unfortunately, their survival on Jakku was tied closely to Unkar. They relied on him to avoid starving to death, like everyone else in this damned desert. Moreover, without a way off this planet it was better to not make any enemies here. She had enough of those scattered around the galaxies already, even though she supposed word about her "death" would have gotten around by now.  Still , there was no need to risk anything, at least for the time being.

Pushing Unkar into the back of her mind, Sora's mood lifted instantly. Somehow, Rey's presence alone had a way of calming her down and lifting her spirits.

With a smile on her face, she bumped her hips into Rey's, causing the latter to stumble slightly. "First to get back home has to wash the dishes."

Rey didn't even have time to comprehend the sentence before Sora ran off laughing, the sand swirling around her feet. The hood of her dark brown jacket flew off her head, leaving her unprotected from the relentless sun which glared down at her pale skin.

"Hey, that's not fair," Rey scolded her friend, yet she couldn't help but laugh at Sora's quick change of mood and her playful antics. The scavenger wasted no time and broke into a run. She knew both of them would regret the race later, when their bodies would be drenched in sweat, the sand clinging to their skin and clothes.

Yet, carefree moments like these were rare and very much needed. Jakku was a lawless, ruthless place. Despite of the blazing sun illuminating the planet, darkness, hunger and thirst kept it on a tight reign. It was not a place anyone would willingly call home.

But they had each other. And that was more than enough for them.

*******

Night was slowly approaching as Sora and Rey sat in the shadows of the remnants of a spaceship. It had become a habit for them to spend their dinner time there, with Sora telling Rey stories of her life as a smuggler and of all the planets she had visited.