Star Crossed

XI

The planet below was designed with strong yellows that reflected the high twin suns with a searing heat. Waves bounced off the sand dunes and created mirages that played tricks on Jo's eyes. 

She couldn't look at the ground for long before she started to imagine things that weren't truly there. To remedy it she turned away from the cockpit windshield and held on blindly as Luke lowered them to his home planet. 

Leia practically beamed with excitement at the chance to see Luke's home, so much so that she barely waited for him to land the ship before she started for the exit. 

Jo followed after her, to protect her, not necessarily from her own excitement- though she was excited to see the place that turned Luke into who he was. 

Leia pressed the release valve for the door, then bounced on her heels as they waited for the ramp to lower. 

The moment the pressure release and the ramp started its descent, Jo was struck by the heat that seeped through the cracks. Not only was it hot enough to create mirages, it was hot enough to immediately make her sweat. 

As the ramp touched the ground Leia walked off and took her first step on the firm planet. 

A hot gust of wind flew by and carried sand over the toes of her shoes until they were practically buried. Leia looked down at her shoes with a deep frown. "It's... sandy." She squinted against the suns as she looked back to Jo. 

She hummed as she slowly made her way down the ramp. "From what it looked like up there-" she pointed towards the blue, cloudless sky. "It's made entirely of sand." She stepped onto the sand and rejoiced in the crunch that spread under her feet. "Though, I didn't expect this heat." She lifted her hand to wipe the moisture from her forehead. "I think the sand is reflecting the heat back up to us."

Luke joined their sides and set his hands on his hips as he looked around. "You'll get use to it," he told them before he walked towards an off-white dune house buried in the sand.

"Get use to it?" Leia scoffed harshly as she turned to follow after him. "We aren't going to be here long enough for me to get use to it." She followed him closely, then stalled to look back at Jo. "Right?" Her voice nearly cracked with prayer. 

Jo smiled and used her hand to block out the duel suns rays. "Who knows," she gave the truth. 

Leia nearly fainted at that, but instead she turned and followed the path Luke had carved out for her in the sand. 

Jo looked around at the barren land around them. She couldn't see anyone for miles and didn't know if that was a good thing, or bad. 

Never the less, when the coast was clear she took up the line behind Leia. 

Luke led the way down a set of stairs into the bulk of his house. 

Leia and Jo let their curiosity wander as they looked at everything: the pictures, the décor, inside each of the bedrooms they passed by. Nothing was off limits to them, and they didn't  care if Luke caught them. 

"All of this..." Jo shook her head in amazement as she walked into a small dining room. "This all made you." She looked down at Luke with a smile. "Incredible."

"Are you done?" Luke asked dryly. 

"You can't tell me you wouldn't be fascinated to see where Leia and I grew up." Jo told him as she squeezed behind him to get further into the home. "There's something about looking at the place someone grew up-" Jo entered the kitchen. She paused in the doorway as she saw a bowl by the sink and half a loaf of bread. It was a painful reminder that Luke's guardians died suddenly. "It's enlightening." She whispered as she turned away from the sad sight.