Permanent Mark

Chapter Three

Rey approaches Leia in their living quarters on Coroscant.

"Ms. Leia, can I have another piece of fruit?"

Leia sighs, smiling slightly. 

"Rey, honey, I've already told you. You don't have to ask me that. You can eat all the fruit you would like. This is your home now and fruit is healthy. Yes, you can have another piece."

Rey hangs her head.

"I'm sorry. I won't ask again." 

"Come here."

She walks to Leia. 

Leia smoothes Rey's hair back and tucks it behind her ear. 

"I'm not upset with you. Just call me Leia, okay? Go get your fruit and get your bath."

"Can I finish watching the holovid with Ben first?"

"Yes that's fine."

"Thank you Ms...I mean, um, Leia"

Leia smiles and squeezes Rey's hand. She must leave in the morning to travel to Naboo. She has an important meeting with the delegation about the efforts on Jakku to establish a more suitable environment, to ban slavery and provide the children with a secure and safe home. No more starvation. No more scavenging.

Rey will stay here for her studies. Threepio will watch over her. Hopefully Ben will hang around. He's been quite moody lately but Rey always has a way of making him mellow. She is glad the girl is safe now. Little Rey is truly a ray of sunshine in their home. Even Han has taken to her. When he's home. 

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"Hey, give me a bite," Ben says.

"No because your big mouth bites off too much."

"Then go get me one."

"Get it yourself." Rey bites a huge chunk of banana, eating it with her mouth open, staring at him defiantly. 

"Ewww" Ben says. "Come on, finish this holovid with me. You have studies in the morning."

"You sound like a grown up."

Ben looks injured by her words. 

"I am a grown up! I'm 19!"

Rey mocks him. 

"Blah Blah Blah. Turn it back on."

Rey plops down on the floor while Ben sits on his bed. She'd sit with him if his feet didn't stink so bad, a fact she's pointed out, incessantly. 

Within minutes, she's asleep. Ben scoops Rey up and carries her to her bed. He untangles the hair ties from her hair, the ones holding up her triple buns. No one can get her to change her hairstyle. He's seen the repercussions of her sleeping in it too many times in the past few days. It will bring tears in the morning unless it's taken down. He tosses the hair ties on her nightstand and covers her, leaving her bedside lamp on. Hopefully it will keep her nightmares at bay. 

Ben wanders into the living quarters, headed to the kitchen for his own banana. Leia looks up, shaking her head.

"She's asleep, isn't she?" she asks Ben. 

He nods, goes to fetch his banana then collapses on the sofa. 

"Yeah. She's in her bed."

Leia sighs. 

"That girl, I told her to get a bath first."

Ben shrugs his shoulders.