Rey's POV
What did I do? What did I do wrong to make Ben this way? Flirting with a practical Twi'lek?! Seriously?! And a young and pretty one at that.
I suppose that's why I had gone with the chief instead of waiting for Ben. Wait, I was trying to make him jealous? I'd never even considered that a possibility. I always thought we'd be crystal solid, as certain as our own existence.
Ugh, sometimes I wish we were still in war so I wouldn't have to think like that. No, I take that back. War was much worse than this.
And, sure, the chief was handsome. Relatively young; not much older than Ben, maybe by a year or so. His scales were orange and he gave a soft glow, like Oliah, but hers was brighter. He was tall, about a head taller than myself, and muscular. In a toned way, not bulging.
I looked around my quarters, wondering where Ben was. Wondering how the Mosiana magic was able to let me stay dry and be able to walk and breathe. Staring at the coral that covered a considerable chunk of the walls here. Rough and brightly colored. Even that had a slight glow. It made me think of Oliah and that changed my thoughts to Ben yet again.
Earlier, I'd shut him out. I didn't want him to know how I was feeling. Now all I wanted to do was find out where I'd gone wrong.
I skimmed the dyad. Our roles had apparently been switched, because this time, he was the one blocking me from his mind. I pressed harder, closing my eyes and concentrating. I saw a bright flash, and I was cast out of his head.
Maybe I should've been hurt or offended, but I was just confused. I took comfort in sitting on the bed provided and stroking the silken sheets. I had a feeling I'd never feel right here.
Of course you won't feel right here, I thought to myself. You're literally a different species. In an environment you're not meant to be in with a lightsaber in a peaceful city. Why would you belong?
I told myself to shut up. I just wanted to get the stupid crystal and leave. Was that so hard?
..........
Apparently it was that hard. As Oliah and Karmess had told us, the cave entrances shifted everyday. We started looking for patterns.
Ben and I never spoke, save in front of the Mosianans, who I'd found out were, in fact, a type of Twi'lek. Wow. Shocker. Never saw that coming especially since they look soo different.
Please excuse my sarcasm. I was quite upset with Ben, who continued to shut me out.
I had decided to give him time. Growing up on my own on Jakku, always waiting for my parents had made me patient.
A friend I'd made, Syllia, gave me a holomap of the caves so I could mark the entrances everyday, to look for patterns. I made the first marking on our second day there.
The caves from the top looked like a misshapen compass rose with skinny, sharp spokes. As far as I could tell, the tunnels were very complicated and very dangerous. Of course they were. It wouldn't be any fun if they weren't dangerous.
My first marking was on the tip of the Southwest spoke. I got excited to make these everyday because it meant something to do to keep me busy, even for a short amount of time.
The second marking on the third day was in between the South and Southwest spoke. I felt a glimmer of hope. This meant progress.
"Do you really think there could be a pattern?" Syllia asked me on my third day. She spoke normally when it was just us and sang in front of the other Mosianans. ("The ones who don't sing all the time are considered failures and disgraces. They're shunned, so keep this between us, would you?" She'd asked.)
I didn't look up from the holomap, but shrugged. "Maybe. I'm not sure yet; we just need to watch them."
Syllia shifted her position so she was leaning on her elbows on the table to get a better look at the hologram. Her coral-colored scales shimmered in a mesmerizing way. She looked up at me with her slanted almond shaped eyes. "I hope there is one. I lost my brother to those caves. I'd very much like to be able to make sure no one else suffers the same fate."
I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "We'll find one." I frowned, thinking of a question.
She smiled knowingly. "You can ask questions, ya know. I won't bite."
I laughed. "Are there any Force users among you? They'd be a big help."
Now it was her turn to frown. "Very very few. Myself. Maybe one or two others."
I almost fell out of my chair. "You're a Force user?! You didn't mention that specifically important fact."
"You didn't ask til now."
I hesitated. "Fair. Do you have a kyber crystal?"
"No. I definitely would've gone to get one if not for the changing entrances."
On our fifth day in Mosiana, I exited my room to see Oliah and Ben walking past, hand in hand, strolling by, talking (singing in her case) and laughing like they'd known each other all their lives.
Then something else happened.
They had seemingly reached their destination, and she turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, and his went around her hips. They stayed there for a good fifteen seconds before pulling apart.
Hurt. Betrayal. Upset. That's how I felt. It was like a punch in the stomach and I actually felt physical pain. How could he do this to me? After Exegol and Tatooine and Ezaina and everything with Finn over the past month including my nightmares?!
I felt the tears flood my eyes. I wasn't about to cry when I was in his line of sight, so I turned around and stormed back into my room.
It took exactly 3 minutes and 24 seconds for Syllia to follow me in. I pretended to be very invested in my holomap. I was, in fact, starting to see a hopeful pattern unfolding. Maybe. Southwest, south-southwest, northeast, north-northeast, southeast. That's what I'd gotten so far.
"Hi," I said, hoping she hadn't noticed my red, puffy face, and not taking my eyes off the map.
She huffed. "Don't give me that. Not that 'everything is fine' attitude. What's wrong?"
I sighed and shrugged. "Nothing."
She plopped down on the seat next to me. Her angular eyes were filled with worry. "You can tell me. Trust me. Please?"
"We hardly know each other!" I attempted.
"Perhaps, but I trusted you with my biggest secret because I want to know you. Could you trust me with your problem?"
"What reason do I have to trust you?"
She looked a little hurt. "None. Except I'm the only one here right now for you."
Good point.
I sighed. "I think Ben's cheating on me," I said and saying it out loud made it soo much worse. Saying it out loud made it irreversible. Unchangeable.
Syllia looked confused. "Cheating? I didn't know you were together."
"We have been for about four months now."
"Wait, but aren't you Jedi? I thought attachments were forbidden."
I shrugged again. "That didn't seem to stop other Jedi from having them."
"Such as?"
"Ben's grandfather was a famous Jedi. Anakin Skywalker. Ben's mother, Leia, underwent Jedi training and married his father, Han."
She nodded in understanding. "Ah. If Ben was cheating, who was it with? And what exactly did you see?"
I stared at the floor. "Him and Oliah. Walking and talking, flirting, laughing, holding hands, hugging for longer-than-needed stretches of time. And he's been shutting me out from our connection." A tear traced its way down my cheek.
Syllia looked furious, like she could punch something (or someone). "UGH! Oliah. Figures. She'll pretend to be all nice and stuff, and she genuinely is to most people, but to some, including me, she'll crawl her way into any relationship to ruin it. She's charming and deceiving as a snake."
I gave her a tiny smile. "I called Ben a snake once. We used to hate each other."
She kept ranting about Oliah and how the blue Mosianan had ruined several of her relationships, many of which were long term and serious, pacing the room the whole time.
After about ten minutes of this, she remembered I was present in the room. She walked back over to me and gave me a huge hug. I appreciated knowing someone was on my side.
...........
Ben's POV
Oliah and I were talking in my room. What happened to her view of privacy? I thought girls stayed out of the men's quarters and vice versa. Oh, well.
If you know me, you should know by now that I can hold a grudge forever. I'm not exactly what most people call "forgiving."
But if there was one person I could forgive, it was Rey. So why couldn't I forgive her for an accidental word slip - friend zoning? I didn't know the answer.
Oliah was sprawled on the floor and I sat cross-legged on my bed.
"Do you think Rey can do it? Find a pattern?" She asked, voice a little doubtful.
Mad at her or not, I wasn't gonna let Rey be doubted. "Yes, I do. One thing I've learned in my lifetime is never underestimate what she is capable of doing. She won't let us down."
"Hmm."
"What? Do you think she can't or something?" I asked defensively.
"I am a little uneasy about the whole thing, I'll admit. I'm not sure about her," she revealed.
I wisely kept myself from opening my mouth. If I opened it, I may have said some things I would regret later.
A beep on her wrist. She got up and offered her hand. "There's a meeting on the caves. Let's go."
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Woot woot! Another chapter! Ah, yes, a love triangle. Please don't kill me! Oliah took a turn, didn't she? Ahahaha, this is just the beginning. If someone wants to make some art of Syllia and Rey just being friends for me, it would be greatly appreciated!! Comment if you do!!