The Art of Broken Pieces

Lunch and Spoon Start Packing

"Nope, I don't like that one at all. The aerodynamics are all wrong."

Ben arched an eyebrow, leaning back against the foot of the couch in the small living room and giving Ari'Li an amused look.

In the three days since the trial, Rey had been spending much of her time catching back up with the parts of her life that she had let slip in the months that she had been with him. That meant long hours outside the home, doing who-knew-what, while Ben tried to figure out his new place in things.

He had been called before a small sub-committee of the senate the day after his sentencing, the requirements and regulations of his 'rehabilitation' laid out for him quite clearly. He had agreed to all of them, though it had been hard to resist adding in the dark rumble to his voice, the narrowing of eyes that still made some of them draw back in nervous fear. The first time he had defaulted to such, the scathing look that Dameron had shot him had reminded him to at least make an effort.

But he was still not comfortable leaving the house if not absolutely necessary, despite his restlessness he wasn't yet prepared for the silent judgment of others. And so here he was, settled in on the floor with a tiny blue child, trying to pass the time while she schooled him on the respective aerodynamics of spacecraft.

"Fuck, Ari." He sighed, glaring at the datapad. "You're too damn young to know all of this. Stop shooting down my ideas."

"You shouldn't curse around me if I'm that young." She replied smartly, voice cool. "I might start cursing in public or something, and then I'd be the one to get in trouble, and it would all be your fucking fault."

Ben was unable to resist a snorted laugh.

"Fine then. If you were looking for a high speed, reliable, decently comfortable, well-armed, infiltrator space craft with all the latest mods, what would you be looking for?"

"Well not that." She swiped aside the sleek ship that he had pulled up, fingers tapping through the database. "You just liked that one because it looked pretty, and you're really vain."

Ben blinked at her, shaking his head. He was out of comebacks.

A laugh sounded from the door, which had just opened. Rey strode in, looking pink-cheeked and relaxed from her afternoon exploring the excavations with Rose.

"She's got you pinpointed there," Rey laughed, dropping her day-pack beside the small kitchen table. "Found anything worth looking at?"

The question had a hint of sadness to it. The decision to leave the Falcon behind had been clear, but even having reasons didn't make it any easier to do. Knowing it would be in the care of her friends made it easier, especially since Chewbacca would now have access to the ship he'd called home for nearly fifty years. She hadn't yet told him, of course. She was hoping Ben could be a part of that handoff, but Chewie was still a sore subject. He'd been doing well over the past few days, and she was loathe to break the trend.

"If your dark Jeedai would stop looking at the shiniest vessels on the interstellar market, we might find one," Ari'Li said. "Here. I'm writing a fetch command for the weapons and mods you want, and the astronautic requirements you definitely need."

Ben glanced at Rey, shaking his head. "I don't know how Dameron puts up with her nonstop." He complained.

"Because unlike you, he's almost as smart as me." Ari'Li replied absently, fingers flying over the controls.

"There's nothing wrong with it being an attractive ship." Ben grumbled, climbing to his feet and moving over to give Rey a quick hug before settling into one of the comfortable lounge chairs. He knew this process was being difficult for her, when he had first broached the subject of leaving the Falcon behind she had vehemently protested. But he had talked her around, convincing her that it was far too recognizable a ship for their purposes. And really, the constant repair needed was getting on both their nerves.