Will of the Many~ Poe Dameron

Blossoming

you steady me and stir me all at once...

-butterfly rising

The nightmares woke Serena up before the sun. Her shoulders ached with the ghost of her hauntings whole her back pleaded for a break from the constant spasms. It seemed that while Snoke was dead, he still had the power to torment her from the grave. A man like him had enough terror to taint her dreams until the ends of time.

She craned her neck to the side to try and ease the stiffness at the top of her spine but found it relentless. Her entire back was hard as stone and no matter which way she sat or bent it throbbed with displeasure.

She lifted her mug of steaming tea and brought it to her lips in hopes that the sweet smell of leaves and cream would relax her war-worn muscles. The aroma of freshly ground tea leaves added a relaxing weight to her tired eyes. The pleasant notes of jasmine momentarily pulled the haunting from her sore shoulders.

A clarity settled over her for a brief moment. There was no murder, no mocking laughter echoing in her head. It was just her and the cup of tea in her hands to keep her company. And for that brief moment, she lived in complete bliss. But like all things in her life, the moment ended and left in its wake a gaping black hole of screams and gushing blood.

Serena's tired eyes peeled open as she set her tea down and pushed it away from her. The steaming contents splashed over the edge of the cup and spilled down on the table. She pulled her hands away and watched the disaster play out before her. There was something familiar about the spoils of something she loved. Even a simple drink of tea could be ruined by Snoke's ever-persistent impression.

A shadow fell over the table, darkening the light cream of her spill to a dark brown. Before Serena had time to react, Kaydel walked around the side of the table and flopped tiredly into the seat across from her.

Serena let the air out of her lungs as she glanced at Kaydel's droopy eyes. "Morning," She looked over the usually-chipper morning person before her except there was no light in her eyes. "Rough night?" She guessed by the thick purple bags under her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Kaydel gushed out as she laid her hands on the table and leaned across it towards Serena. "I couldn't sleep last night! I kept thinking about how I turned you in to Leia for-" Kaydel looked around the empty cafeteria. When she saw it was just them and a few kitchen droids she turned back towards Serena and lowered her voice to say, "having the commlink."

Serena shook her head to cut off the rest of Kaydel's apology. "Don't-"

"No!" Kaydel insisted as her red eyes widened. "I shouldn't have done it! I should have asked you why you had it or- or what you used it for. But no, I went straight to the General and turned you in." She gave a grave shake of her head that tussled a strand loose from her halo braid. "What if Leia wasn't so forgiving? What if she made you leave the Resistance? Where would you have gone?" Her eyes grew impossibly wider as she carried herself down a rabbit hole of questions. "Oh, stars, I would have been responsible for your downfall- I would have-"

Serena gave a dubious laugh at the ridiculous words coming out of Kaydel's otherwise sane mouth. Kaydel stopped talking as she looked at Serena with heavy shoulders and a deep frown. "Kaydel, I absolutely adore this stress you're putting on yourself, but it's not worth it." She shook her head. "You did the right thing. You caught someone who had previous ties to the First Order with a First Order commlink. It looked suspicious." She reiterated to affirm Kaydel.

Kaydel's frown didn't lift, nor did her shoulders relieve themselves of the heavyweights she placed on them. She held the same look of chagrin that weathered harsh stone.