The Art of Broken Pieces

4 Porgs (or, Spoon gets Minions)

Ben wasn't sure how many more times he could prowl around the house before he went completely crazy. The few things from his room in the Falcon had been delivered by a guard who practically fled as soon as his work was done, and Ben had managed to kill about 10 minutes stashing them in his new quarters. Since then, he had mapped the house, memorized the view from every window, and considered starting a prison break tunnel.

He was bored, restless, and trying desperately to ignore the constant weight of foreboding that settled deep in his stomach when he heard the soft sound of the back door in the kitchen scraping open. It was a cautious sound, stealthy, not the sound of Rey returning from her afternoon of duties.

Going still, Ben slid silently towards the kitchen door, gathering the Force up around himself in case someone had tried to take justice into their own hands.

The small, gloved hand that extended around the corner was holding a mirror, and as it rotated, it caught him dead in the eye, reflecting back a single patch of blue-skinned face and a blood red eye.

Ari'Li was around the corner at once, bouncing off the door frame. She leapt over the back of the couch, her tiny, sturdy boots slamming into the cushions, which vaulted her into the air and straight at his chest. "Dark Jeedai!" she squealed, latching onto him like a Mynock.

Ben had just enough time to extend his arms to catch her before she hit his chest, her little arms and legs winding around him and fastening her to him. Stunned, Ben held her, trying to process the sudden appearance of the girl and the violent invasion of his space.

"...Ari'Li?" She was different than he remembered her, heavier, and certainly cleaner. She had put on healthy weight, a child clearly getting enough to eat, her bones no longer standing out against her indigo skin. "What the hell are you doing here?" He looked down at the little mirror she had dropped in her excitement. "Were you breaking in?"

"I live here." she said. "And there were guards on your door so I had to break in!" She thought for a moment. "I had to break out, too, but that's not hard. The tutors never see when I'm about to leave and Poe doesn't let them punish us for running off if we need to be alone. He says 'I never died in the jungle. They'll probably be fine.'"

She cocked her head at him, blood red eyes making minute little flicks here and there around his face. "Your...heat signature changed. You're...surprised? Or angry? Because I snuck out? I won't get in trouble. Well, maybe I will for sneaking past the guards on your door. But they should be the ones in trouble, not me. The back door is way too easy to pick. One little pin and the whole circuit resets."

"You..." Ben shook his head, processing too many disparate pieces of her excited words at once. "You live with Poe Dameron?" His mood darkened. Did everyone know that damn man? He was like an invasive pest that Ben couldn't seem to get rid of, spreading into everything that Ben thought was safe. He was like... a porg.

"The whole system resets, hmm?" Ben managed to slowly untangle the small arms and legs from around his body, frowning at her as he set her down and crouched in front of her to meet her eyes. "What was your plan then, kid? To break me out or to sneak in and kill me in my sleep?" He arched an eyebrow at her, remembering her parting threats.

"Yes," she said.

"He doesn't like you much, even if he doesn't say it. The feeling seems mutual." She crossed her arms. "I suppose I'll have to assess the situation and act accordingly." She looked him up and down. "You don't seem to be shackled to anything. I thought when they said you were arrested they meant like that Chamberlain person. I wasn't sure if I was going to have to get Sarissa to help me carry you. But I didn't think Rey would let them hurt you. She's not going to let them, right?"