Bonded in the Silence: A Reylo Fanfiction

Chapter 10: Arrival

Poe nudged her to keep walking. "Focus now, this is a major port. Make it look like we're here for business."

A slight wave of annoyance passed through Rey, but she knew he was right. Poe marched with purpose through the endless mass of standing bodies in the direction of the inner city. She glanced back at the ship, its ramp still planted and empty.

I hope Finn will be ok, she worried.

Setting out into the crowd, Rey followed after Poe as best she could with her limited visibility. It felt like an eternity before they were out of the port and in the open desert space that separated it from the city.

Poe was slowing down ahead of her as the bodies thinned out, giving them some room to talk. She jogged to get up beside him, and regretted it instantly as the heat skyrocketed inside her clothes.

He pulled his linen down from his mouth, revealing a face glazed with sweat. "Maz said there was a cantina here where a small group connects. They were overheard discussing digust with the First Order destroying whole cities."

"A young group, correct?" Rey confirmed.

"Young enough I guess," He looked at her from the corner of his eye before continuing, "and if they are a bunch of...young men, I think you'll be our best bet for recruiting them."

"What's that supposed to mean!" she tried not to raise her voice in embarrassment.

Poe plucked his linen from under his chin back onto his face as they neared the open gate of the city. "Uh, you know what I mean," he stated smoothly.

Rey shot her arm out against his chest. "No. Actually, I don't know what you mean."

His eyes crinkled in the corners, clearly amused at her reaction. "Rey, you're a very attractive young lady."

Heat rose up in her cheeks, fogging out her visor just a little bit more. "I....I'm" she stuttered in an attempt to reply, "I'm not going to lure them to our cause if that's what you mean!"

Poe gave an abrupt laugh. "I don't think I've ever seen you get this riled up before. I just meant that you're attractive, and men notice it."

He winked at her, and she suddenly felt uncomfortable with herself. Poe Dameron was certainly good-looking all on his own, but she never thought that he or anyone else for that matter would find her attractive. She didn't have long, flowing trusses or a voluptuous figure, but rather focused all her energy on hating those who abused their power. There never was a moment before to worry about attracting another person.

After walking through a few of the streets, they came across the popular Mos Eisley cantinas. It was overflowing with patrons, and they stopped in the entry line-up.

Rey put her hands on her hips and dipped forward to give her back a stretch. Poe wiped away perspiration under his eyes.

"Tell you what," he said non-chalantly, "why don't you look around while I wait to get in. It might be pretty obvious that we are trying to stick together while moving around in there. If I go solo, I might be able to make contact with the group we are looking for just by going unnoticed."

Rey agreed after some thought. "I'll comm you if I run into trouble."

"And I'll comm you if I make contact." He saluted her before stepping forward again in the line.

She walked back through the streets they had travelled, taking a closer look at what was available. The open market was very interesting, and many similar elements of the population and culture existed here like Jakku.