in the kenobi residence...
"You think she should threaten to kill everybody?"
"Do you want my help or not?"
They had been discussing the prospect of rescuing Han for over an hour now, Avery's ideas leaving Luke both impressed and unsettled.
"I do. I'm just kind of hesitant to ask my friend to threaten to bomb a crime palace."
"I've watched a lot of mob movies. I'm pretty sure I know what I'm talking about."
"That's what we're putting our faith in?"
"Listen," she began, almost condescendingly, "You said this place would be full of nasty people, right? Leia is bringing in a dangerous beast. That in itself is going to be impressive—but isn't that suspicious? How could someone as small in stature as Leia incapacitate Chewie?"
"I'm following, actually."
"Great. So, these people are going to wonder how an average-looking bounty hunter managed to capture Chewbacca. We need to give them a reason to buy into this narrative. If not, she's going to stand out even more."
"Are you sure that a bomb is the best approach?"
"Absolutely. Everyone needs to feel threatened by her. Even if the braver individuals feel inclined to confront her, they'll be hindered by the fear of the group. We'll have more control over the situation if we can get an entire room to think the way we want them to."
"I'm so glad you're on our side. You should have been writing up strategies for us this entire time."
She paused, eyeing him suspiciously to see if he was being genuine.
"I don't think so. I'm not very smart. I'm stronger athletically than academically."
"What? You're super smart. I've always thought you were."
"Really? I was always average in school."
"That isn't what I mean. You have a very calculating mind. You're always observing other people, and you're good at interpreting their behaviors. I lo—like that about you."
"Ha. You just want me to kiss you again."
"I mean, I wouldn't be opposed to it."
"That's funny, because you were saying earlier that we should try to prioritize the war instead of our—well, you know."
He huffed, crossing his legs and resting his chin on the palm of his hand, mildly irritated that his own words had come back to bite him.
"Keep strategizing, then," he told her.
"As if I'd ever take orders from you. Still, I'm enjoying this, so I will keep strategizing."
She uncapped a pen—he's not sure where she got it from, really—and drew a large square.
"Have you ever been inside?" she asked him.
"Never."
"How is Leia supposed to know where to find Han?"
"He'll probably be on display," Luke replied solemnly, chewing on his bottom lip.
"Well, that's messed up," she said, frowning, "Okay, so she'll be able to find him pretty easily, I guess. What kind of ideas did you have in mind?"
"I'm worried something will happen to Leia. I think we should send Threepio and Artoo inside before her. Artoo can have my lightsaber on him, so if I do have to show up, I stand a fighting chance."
"We can say they're a gift or something. I mean, this guy is calling his residency a palace. I'm sure he'd like to have his ego stroked a little, right?"
"Definitely. I was planning on sucking up to him anyway, but sending him a tangible sign of my good will seems like a nice idea."
They continued to plan for a few hours (though Avery called it scheming), and they'd managed to come up with a pretty solid outline of what was going to happen. Worst case scenario, Luke would show up and decimate everyone. After they'd worked out all of the kinks, only one more thing remained.
"Luke," she'd asked, and he knew where this was heading, "What should I do?"
He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling shakily and meeting her eyes with hesitation.
"What do you want to do?" he asked quietly.
"I want to go inside, but I have a feeling you're going to be opposed to that."
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why do you want to go inside? Is it because you feel like you have to, or do you actually want to?"
"Both. Do you want it to have to come to a massacre?"
"Preferably not, no."
"Then you need to make him think your offer is genuine. I'll go with the droids as a bargaining chip—"
"No. He's perverted."
"A handmaiden, then. I'll make sure to look my worst. I'll tell him I'll wipe up his shit for him, I don't care, but I need to be in a position to help you if things go wrong."
He didn't speak for several seconds, trying to get his thoughts in order.
"You've changed a lot," he finally said, his voice quiet, "I almost miss when you were a little selfish. It was a lot easier to keep you safe back then."
"I'm not asking for your permission," she told him gently, though the certainty in her assertion was clear, "But your approval would be nice. And your trust, maybe?"
"Of course I trust you," he explained quickly, "I trust you more than anyone. I don't want you to feel like I don't think you're capable, okay? You are. You're smart, you're quick to act. Your instincts serve you well. But, at the end of the day, you're a lot less familiar with this world than the others are. I just don't want you to do anything without fully understanding the risks. You haven't—well, it'll be different."
"I understand what the risks are," she clarified, "I understand that I'm putting myself in danger, and if anything were to happen, I would never be angry at you for it. This is my decision, right? We've been through enough together. I think I'm well aware of what kind of trouble follows you around."
"It's not just rescuing Han," he mumbled with a sigh, "I think we can probably get through that relatively unscathed. It'll be a lot more overwhelming compared to the types of altercations you're used to, but I don't visualize you having a difficult time adjusting. You're very adaptable."
"Then what's bothering you?"
"The things that come after. I told you before that I have a feeling things are about to change—not just for me, or the Alliance, but for everyone. Once we get Han back, my efforts in the war will be a lot more direct, as will Leia's. Have you ever been in a war?"
"Um, no. That would be a pretty big thing to forget to mention to someone you spend an unnatural amount of time with."
"Unnatural," he mused, "Well, it isn't the same as what we've been doing. If the tide does turn, as I suspect it will, then everyone will have to be on the frontlines. That's something I could never ask of you."
"I know," she replied, frowning, "It's something I've thought about."
"I'm interested in knowing your thoughts, then."
"I don't know why I went with you that day," she confessed, "I mean, I guess we've both agreed now that it was an impulse. But you told me that you'd take me back to Earth if that's what I wanted. I stayed anyway. At first, it was for you."
He said nothing, patiently waiting for her to continue.
"But then," she said sadly, "People in the exploration unit died. Natta died. It's strange, isn't it? They didn't fall victim to some bloody massacre or tedious battle. They died from an avalanche. Still—and this took me a long ass time to realize, believe me—they died for the sake of the Rebellion. After that, I started telling myself that the only way to honor them was to adopt their beliefs, and, to them, nothing was more valuable than winning the war."
"That's very noble of you," he commended, "But you can't blame yourself for what happened, y'know?"
"I know that now. Another time, Leia showed me the population database for Alderaan. She told me that the entire planet was destroyed. I tried thinking about how I would feel if Earth was attacked while I was out here with you, but I couldn't even begin to fathom that sort of tragedy, yet it's Leia's reality. Isn't that shitty? On top of that, she still chooses to lead."
He nodded in understanding, prompting her silently. She sighed before speaking again.
"And, finally, there's you. Your dad is, like, the worst dad of all time. Sorry if that's insensitive, but he definitely takes the cake. You told me he's second only to the most powerful man in the galaxy—that he helps lead this Empire. And he hurt you. Therefore, the Empire has hurt you."
"I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. Sorry," he admitted sheepishly.
"I won't pretend to understand the horrors that the rest of the Alliance has witnessed. I barely know anything about this world, much less its tragedies and politics, and to act like I do would be an injustice to everyone else. I can say, however, that I hate the Empire. I can want to help dismantle that system. The people I care about have suffered because of it."
Then, in one of her rare moments of vulnerability, she added, "I've never had anything worth fighting for, but I do now. I have Yanis, Gredge, Emily, Mitch, and the rest of my unit. I have the memory of Natta. I have Chewbacca and those two droids. I have Leia. I have you. I've never been treated so well before. I've never known what it's like to have someone care about the direction my life is going in. I've never had someone believe in me before. All of you are such good spirits, and yet you keep someone like me around."
"Avery, you're—"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm incredible. Thanks, Luke, but that's not the point," she murmured dismissively, "What I'm getting at is this: I can never repay you all for what you've done for me. You've made me a better person. I'd do anything for you—even if it means fighting a war."
Her eyes, he realized, held a twinkle of sincerity he'd never seen in them before. She was unknowingly chewing on her bottom lip, likely wearing a sore into the delicate flesh there. He placed his thumb on her lip, gently pushing down in order to free it from her teeth's ministrations. Scarlet colored her cheeks faintly, her gaze now focused on his hand. Slowly, he removed it, opting to run his fingers through her soft hair instead.
"I would never try to take something like that away from you. Not that you'd let me, of course, but I would never even try," he told her quietly.
"Take...something? I don't understand," she confessed with a small frown, her brows furrowed.
"Something worth fighting for. My only concern is for your safety, really, because I don't want anything to happen to you. I was worried you would put your life on the line out of a feeling of obligation, but what you just said makes it seem like far more than that. You've found something you cherish. To ask you to limit yourself for my sake alone would be selfish."
As she processed what he said, she began to close her eyes, the action signified by the subtle fluttering of her dark lashes. Before she could shield her face from him, he caught sight of a lone tear rolling down the side of her cheek. Without thinking, he wiped it away with calloused fingers. She leaned into the touch, and he had to admit that he was surprised when he felt her embrace him.
"I'm not going to praise you for wanting me to make my own decisions. That's like the least you can possibly do. The bare minimum, if you will," she mumbled into his shoulder, "But I do value your opinion. So thanks, or whatever."
"Or whatever," he repeated, smiling contentedly.
The two of them shared their embrace for a little while longer.
a/n: OK!! i am SO so sorry for disappearing for a month. i've been extremely busy cause i'm going thru some big ole changes rn, but i think i'm back for the most part?? i have the next chapter of this written already & i'll be updating again within the next few days so rest assured it will not be another month before the next update is posted haha.
i'm sorry for making u wait so long for this chapter. it's mainly just dialogue lol so i also apologize if that disappointed you. with that being said, if you did enjoy, votes are appreciated! i also love reading your comments as well <3
have a great day!