Let the Light In

Chapter 59: Partial

Chapter 59: Partial

Rey was enjoying herself. Sure, she was sluggishly chugging her way through space with a damaged hyperdrive, and frantically looking for a smart place to dock...But for the first time in a very, very long time, she was genuinely enjoying herself.

Just over three weeks ago, she had played pazaak with Poe in D'Qar base's dusty cantina. They had shared a bottle of juma, and he had done his best to make her talk about Ben. The only reason he seized that opportunity, Rey knew, was because Finn was not about. He hadn't shown up, and Rey had managed to surmise that he had only grown more frustrated after she had left. Poe hadn't wanted to elaborate on it, and Rey figured he was somewhat torn between the two of them. However, this did not stop him from attempting to make her spill all the juicier or else fluffier details that she hadn't blabbed to Maz. Needless to say, he got nothing from Rey, and had promptly decided that it would be a good idea to ply her with alcohol till she sang. This, too, did not work out for him as he ended up being the one to drink most of the bottle.

Granted, she had not seen much more of them after that day. Both Finn and Poe were very involved in the workings of the Resistance, and they loved it. Poe had not been happy that Finn and Rey had left things so unresolved, and neither was Rey, but there was very little she could do to change it, so she let it go. Rey, on the other hand, had a full week of peace before her roster would start. She had spent it working on the Falcon and Sparrow with Chewie, as well as training again with Luke.

It had been wonderful to find that, even after all that had happened coupled with her relative absence for the last while, they managed to piece together as old, long-suffered friends. Rey was not oblivious to the new measure of respect that Luke held towards her, and she suspected it had much to do with her choosing to take the non-militarised route. But more than that, she believed his sincerity when he said that she had progressed far beyond what he could ever hope to show her, and that she managed it well. They had meditated together, and talked things out. Luke was just as willing as Rey to mend their relationship, and expressed sentiment far beyond gratefulness at all she was doing for his family. Rey assured him that she was entirely selfish in the venture to bring Ben back, even though she had started the journey for Leia's sake. They had even spent a few hours sparring in the hanging gardens, and garnered an enraptured crowd who may or may not have held bets. Rey had ignored the faces that bore scorn and suspicion.

What made her happier than anything was the way Chewbacca had dragged her to the hangars with a flask of caffa in hand, and had insisted that Rey help him work. He loved her like not a day had passed that he ever disappointed him, and it moved Rey to know that Chewbacca approved of her so, and so unconditionally.

The only thing that had chewed away at her joy was Ben's continued silence. Rey had grown more fidgety by the day, and the others noticed. Maz knew right away what was wrong, and tried often to reassure her. Eventually they had all given up, and resorted to distracting her instead, which worked for a time...Such as until when night would fall, and she would be stuck alone with her thoughts, and dreams. Some nights would give Rey hope, and she would have 'normal' dreams of Yavin Four's forests, and sunsets, and more often than not the feeling of someone's body curled around hers in a way she never wanted to end. Those were scarce, however, and most of her sleep had been filled with the sands and the blood.

Rey would wake up in astute denial, and throw herself into whatever Chewbacca or Luke had planned for the day. At times, it had seemed like they were shirking their own duties to be with her, but she was not about to complain. Even Leia would take a little extra time to talk with her, and discuss what Rey would have to check up on when she visited the outposts, and which planets were safer as layover spots. Rey appreciated all the time she could spend with them, as such times kept her mind off Ben, as well as the less-than-friendly troops around her. Rey was not ignorant of the animosity that surged amongst the soldiers, and since Myri, Rem, Finn, and Poe were not fixed features, a few of her braver adversaries became a bit more brazen in their disdain. It had no gone beyond insults said just loud enough for her to hear, and Rey hoped that it would stay that way, though she knew the hope was a futile one.