The next thing he knew, Rey was back, arm in arm with a long-lost, long-haired and largely-scruffy Jedi who came with a mute button. She ran a beeline to Finn’s arms, uttering a happy yell when he lifted her and spun her off the ground.
"You’ve made it through!" Rey said again and again, her cheeks creased so hard they must have hurt.
"And you," was his cri du cœur, while the Resistance crowd whooped and cheered around them.
There was no time to elaborate as General Organa, still clinging to her prodigal brother, called for debrief. But later, in his room, munching on a local dewnut, she asked, "So, you’re a storyteller now?"
Finn groaned. It made sense that BB-8 would have counted Rey among ourselves, but…
"I’m a pilot in training," he informed her. "When I’m not a firing instructor. We’re jacks-of-all-trades here."
Rey, true to form, stood her ground. "But you’re a teller too?"
"In my spare time." Finn shrugged, for himself more than her. "Look, it’s no big deal. Just something the medics ordered."
"It's big to me," Rey said. She put one hand on his arm, and when he glanced up at her, her face had the scavenger’s cast to it, hungry and hopeful, and he knew she was thinking of the past. "When I was on Jakku, you know…things happened, but they happened almost always in the same way. Over and over again. And you can’t let same wear you down, or there’ll be nothing left of you."
"I know." Finn covered her hand with his. "I've been there."
"So… I made it different. In my head. I made it up."
"Yeah?"
"A different father and mother every night. And no father, sometimes, or a sister instead. Coming back. Or sending sign. Or a clue in the sand, an enigma to clear for our reunion. They helped me sleep at night, the stories. They kept me whole. And they made me glad. Does yours?"
"…Yes." Though the last chapters had been more of a sketchy follow-up, now that BB-8 was back to base business and Finn was kept busy by his own chores. But he had seen Cor and Malko safely aboard the evil Tetrarch of Gar’o’s personal fighter, which they’d taken over to rejoin the Dekado System. It had the benefit of autopilot and the Tetrarch’s personal couch, which could bed four at a time and was filled with Alderaanian swandown (Threepio’s footnote). A very good time had been had on that couch. "Yes, it makes me glad."
Rey beamed approval. "So, can I hear it?"
---------------------------------
It was the Jakku gambit all over again. You simply couldn’t say no to Rey once she’d made her mind up, and Finn found himself reciting all of Chapter 1 to her before he knew better. Rey was the very model of an involved audience: by the time they’d made it to the brink of Chapter 3 and the Sacred Lake, she was clapping her hands excitedly.
"It makes me glad," she told Finn. "It’s like I can follow Malko’s emotions with each word, and they rev up beautiful. He’s got a twelve-parsec heart, I can tell. And I think Cor will be good for him. When do they shag?"
Finn, taken aback, confirmed that his protagonists did shag. Twice. On four occasions so far.
"Great! So, can I borrow the book? Luke’s teaching me to read."
It took some time to explain about Hut and Smut Publishers, and why there was no book as of yet, and no likelihood of one coming. Rey’s Stories Give Hope motto stayed undaunted, not even when Finn told her he could hardly sign a contract without a) a registered name, b) a credit account, and c) a proper address, other than Secret Resistance Base, The Galaxy.
"Well, it’s not right," Rey said, and left pursing her mouth.
Morning came, and Finn woke up to a top-priority call from the Command Center.
FILL - Hyperdrive My Heart (5/?)
"You’ve made it through!" Rey said again and again, her cheeks creased so hard they must have hurt.
"And you," was his cri du cœur, while the Resistance crowd whooped and cheered around them.
There was no time to elaborate as General Organa, still clinging to her prodigal brother, called for debrief. But later, in his room, munching on a local dewnut, she asked, "So, you’re a storyteller now?"
Finn groaned. It made sense that BB-8 would have counted Rey among ourselves, but…
"I’m a pilot in training," he informed her. "When I’m not a firing instructor. We’re jacks-of-all-trades here."
Rey, true to form, stood her ground. "But you’re a teller too?"
"In my spare time." Finn shrugged, for himself more than her. "Look, it’s no big deal. Just something the medics ordered."
"It's big to me," Rey said. She put one hand on his arm, and when he glanced up at her, her face had the scavenger’s cast to it, hungry and hopeful, and he knew she was thinking of the past. "When I was on Jakku, you know…things happened, but they happened almost always in the same way. Over and over again. And you can’t let same wear you down, or there’ll be nothing left of you."
"I know." Finn covered her hand with his. "I've been there."
"So… I made it different. In my head. I made it up."
"Yeah?"
"A different father and mother every night. And no father, sometimes, or a sister instead. Coming back. Or sending sign. Or a clue in the sand, an enigma to clear for our reunion. They helped me sleep at night, the stories. They kept me whole. And they made me glad. Does yours?"
"…Yes." Though the last chapters had been more of a sketchy follow-up, now that BB-8 was back to base business and Finn was kept busy by his own chores. But he had seen Cor and Malko safely aboard the evil Tetrarch of Gar’o’s personal fighter, which they’d taken over to rejoin the Dekado System. It had the benefit of autopilot and the Tetrarch’s personal couch, which could bed four at a time and was filled with Alderaanian swandown (Threepio’s footnote). A very good time had been had on that couch. "Yes, it makes me glad."
Rey beamed approval. "So, can I hear it?"
---------------------------------
It was the Jakku gambit all over again. You simply couldn’t say no to Rey once she’d made her mind up, and Finn found himself reciting all of Chapter 1 to her before he knew better. Rey was the very model of an involved audience: by the time they’d made it to the brink of Chapter 3 and the Sacred Lake, she was clapping her hands excitedly.
"It makes me glad," she told Finn. "It’s like I can follow Malko’s emotions with each word, and they rev up beautiful. He’s got a twelve-parsec heart, I can tell. And I think Cor will be good for him. When do they shag?"
Finn, taken aback, confirmed that his protagonists did shag. Twice. On four occasions so far.
"Great! So, can I borrow the book? Luke’s teaching me to read."
It took some time to explain about Hut and Smut Publishers, and why there was no book as of yet, and no likelihood of one coming. Rey’s Stories Give Hope motto stayed undaunted, not even when Finn told her he could hardly sign a contract without a) a registered name, b) a credit account, and c) a proper address, other than Secret Resistance Base, The Galaxy.
"Well, it’s not right," Rey said, and left pursing her mouth.
Morning came, and Finn woke up to a top-priority call from the Command Center.
-----------------------------