The Little Things In Our Souls

"What would a final blow accomplish? A fight worth drawing blood isn't a play fight, Xander," Rey's voice wasn't quite as lively. She was exhausted, both emotionally and physically, after the past day. Switching her staff to her free hand, Rey nodded as he spoke again. On any good day back on Jakku, Rey would have found somewhere to curl up and sleep. Nurse her injuries if absolutely necessary. But it wasn't, skin hadn't been broken. In the morning, she was absolutely positive there would be a few bruises curtesy of Xander. The way that with each breathe in, she hesitated midway because of a pain that shot through her ribs, she knew they were bruised. She hadn't heard a single crack, or more importantly felt one, so she would be fine.

Rey left the room without a glance back, figuring that it was ultimately unnecessary. Xander seemed just as done with the day as she was and she didn't think that Rita would try something without Xander's order.

---

The next morning, Rey was up bright and early. She showered and pulled on the gifts from Leia that had been delivered with her wake up call. A shirt not unlike her usual outfit and a pair of black pants. With a spot specific for her to clip the lightsaber to if she so chose. Hair pulled back into her usual style, Rey glanced around her room. She had no way of knowing when the next time she'd be able to sleep in the bed was. Taking a deep breathe, she slipped her bag over one shoulder and grabbed her staff. The weapon she would never leave behind because she trusted herself with it.

Rey reluctantly moved to the dining hall where she grabbed one of the sandwiches provided. She didn't take more than a few minutes to devour it - you learned to more or less scarf down food when you grew up the way she had. Washing t down with a glass of orange juice, Rey stood. No use in wasting time, she needed to get to the millennium falcon and ensure everything was as it needed to be on her ship before departure. Because that's what it was, as far as she was concerned. She would be piloting, so it was, in fact, her ship.

Xander didn’t look at her. A play fight? Was she really a simple child? This wasn’t a play fight for him. This was a test on her, a training for Rita, so much more. He didn’t argue though, he just let it go. The trip out to his room was short, he dismissed Rita, and took his time in a lovely warm both he knew he wouldn’t be having until in a really long time. The sleep was much welcomed, and the breakfast that followed it was much appreciated.

His stuff was already loaded onto the ship when he finally came up to it, eying it from a far. An assistant gave him the rundown of last minute things as he stood on the platform, watching the... ship thing, in all its… Xander winced. Ancient glory? That thing was so old he wondered if this was a joke.

“That thing still flies?” He said, siding up to Rey when he was ushered closer to the ship. He looked quite sceptical, but if she was the one piloting, better have something she knew how to control at her command rather than anything else. And since she was the one piloting and not him, he could see why things were set out so. That didn’t, however, make him any more satisfied with the idea. Millennium Falcon? Sounded awfully familiar.

He turned to Leia as the woman approached to bid them good luck and farewell, giving extra attention to Rey as she gave the girl a small hug and gave a few words of wisdom and her face filled with emotion. Xander didn’t bother to look. It’d only bring back bad memories. When she turned to him, studying his face a little, Xander did an excellent job of covering up his unease with a polite smile. She thanked him for joining their alliances, then with one last wish of good luck, she had to depart.

[ Sorry for the shortness ]

Rey stared at the ship for a moment. She hadn't known what it was, the first time she flew it and hadn't until she met Han for the first time. Even then, she hadn't quite realized what all it entailed. Tending as she felt Xander's presence behind her, she grit her teeth as he spoke. "It's a ship. If a ship flies, there's no reason we can't use it?" She spoke, ending it in a question as if she didn't understand why he seemed so skeptical. Part of her did but then, Han and Chewbacca had seemed to trust the ship like it was brand new. Everything would be fine, things would work out the way they needed to. Order would be restored to the Galaxy, she just needed to believe that.

Before Xander could offer up a reply, BB-8 came rolling up, seemingly focused on the pair. Sliding around her, it came to a complete halt in front of Xander. The little robot wasted no time in zapping Xander, making his own opinion rather clear. Rey tried to supress her laugh, she really did (okay maybe not really) but soon, a giggle escaped her lips and before she knew it, she was full on laughing.

After biding farewell to Leia, Rey pulled Finn into a tight hug. With whispered promises of returning, Rey smiled at her friend. "BB-8 insists he's coming with you because you may need a droid," Finn spoke up, rolling his eyes despite the grin on his features. Rey nodded, looking down to the small droid. "Keep me safe from that thing, will you?" She grinned, motioning with her chin toward Xander.

With a last pat of Finn's shoulder, Rey turned to head aboard the ship, BB-8 in tow. She spun around, waving toward Finn a final time before glancing toward Xander. Rita stood on the outskirts where Rey offered nothing more than a fleeting look. "Lets get the show on the road," she muttered before retreating into the ship.

The thing came out of nowhere and with an angry beep it stuck out something and then there was numbness after a brief shock of pain in Xander’s leg. Xander would have liked to fall on the ground and give up and not go anywhere, but the zap numbed his leg so much that he couldn’t even move, and the shock numbed the rest of him that he just stood there, lips pulled back into a small snarl and hissed before finally to come out of the whole tense rigidity in his body and mouth an ‘ow’. He could have sworn he had seen stars and they weren’t in space yet. He heard Rey laughing, and his brows furrowed quite really as he glared down at the little robot. “Still think it’s trash,” he muttered. The robot, damn thing, didn’t waste time to zap him again.

Xander almost, almost didn’t regain composure in time for Leia, and bared with the pain in his leg until they finally got to leave. He felt Finn’s distrusting gaze on his back but only rolled his shoulders at it. Nothing the guy could do now. Xander didn’t bother to do any waves, not even to Rita. He only looked at her briefly and a silent order of ‘behave’ passed from him to her. He could almost feel her scowl.

The ship raised its ramp once they were inside and Xander looked around still so very sceptical. The pilot’s space was quite broad and free to move around in, and the chairs were not too bad, though they could have been upgraded for longer flights. Comfort was everything. No comfort, even in a fighting ship, was nothing good.

Xander seated himself in the copilot’s seat and rubbed his leg where the robot had zapped him. There would be a mark no doubt, he didn’t even need to check. He sat back, waiting for Rey to take charge, and although he knew how to fly – he’d let her do her thing. He really didn’t like being the pilot.

"Because luxury matters over function," Rey snapped, rolling her eyes at Xander's reply. God, she couldn't stand the way that he managed to get under her skin with every action he took. Regardless of what it was, or what was said, she just wanted to ring into him. Give him a nice little run for his money, take him down a peg or two. She figured a large amount of the time she spent idly on the trip would be spent in ways of fantasizing revenge on the bastard.

Rey relaxed once she settled into the pilot seat, grabbing the bag of nuts that she had packed away. Piloting was an exhausting job. Or boring, whichever you preferred. BB-8 settled beside her as she plugged in the coordinates of the system beside their actual destination. They would veer off track when it became necessary but until then, to keep any potential followers off of their real destination.

It didn't take long before Rey regretted not having someone else come along with them. Anyone that could have a conversation that was even remotely entertaining. Xander was her only viable option. She began to tap her foot against the floor, her boredom becoming even more clear as time wore on. She took a handful of her snack, shoving the contents into her mouth without any further consideration.

Chewing a few times over, Rey narrowed her eyes. She kept her gaze on the window, contemplating what to ask. "Why does that...girl call you master?" She finally settled on. A topic that didn't focus on either of them, she figured was a safer option than to outright ask him about who he was.

Xander was half falling asleep and would have happily continued to actually sleep on when Rey started tapping her foot. He cracked open an eye and glared at it, then glared at BB-8 to make sure the robot wasn’t going to sap him before closing his eye and attempting to get used to this unnecessary noise until finally she jolted him awake with words. Xander looked at her, and with a dead set seriousness in his eyes he said, “It’s her kink.”

He turned and looked out at the empty space in front of him, making himself comfortable in the seat, sliding down a little to half-lay in it. Once enough seconds had passed, he let a joking grin play on his lips and added, “I’ll tell you if you give me some.” He glanced at the snack in her hand and offered her an ‘information has a price’ sort of smile.

Only when did she finally hand over some few nuts, he replied with a soft smile on his face, “Habit. She was a slave. I can’t teach her out of it.” It was a rather fond, if you could call it that, memory. He had found her in some alleyway bravely fighting off a bunch of perverts and after helping break their necks he continued on his merry way but she trailed along. She never asked questions, and he didn’t know what was on her mind and frankly he didn’t care. When he taught her to shield from Jedi tricks, he managed to gain a peek into her mind and was unsettled to find that she didn’t think much. She just reacted and obeyed when ordered. Like an animal.

Xander didn’t tell this to Rey though, if she wanted to know she could ask Rita. It was not his to share, because for all the information he held, things relating to people he cared about were not buyable.

“Her name is Rita.” He added softly after a few more seconds and a nut eaten. Rey could call him whatever she wanted, but Rita deserved a name especially being one with her sort of past.

Rey didn't respond to the initial reply. If it had been the truth, she wouldn't have cared. She had virtually no experience in physical relations past a fight but she wasn't that naive - she understood the hinting. She was quiet, until he spoke up again. Rey raised a brow, glancing sideways at him. She shrugged her shoulders, motioning with her chin toward the baggie. "Snacks are of the utmost importance," she answered. "Pack your own next time," she muttered, holding the bag out to him.

Her face fell when Xander offered her a real answer. She shouldn't have been surprised, not really, as to why Rita called Xander master. But it was still unsettling regardless of her shock. Rey finally nodded, shifting her weight around in her chair so she could be a bit more comfortable. "She trusts you," she commented quietly, almost more to herself than anything. Her eyes shot back to Xander, giving a small nod of his head. "Rita," she tested before twisting back around in her chair.

Minutes ticked by as an almost comfortable silence filled the air. Through a handful of nuts, Rey glanced toward Xander. If she had been more experienced in the Force, she would have delved into his mind to find the answers she wanted. That way she wouldn't have needed to listen to his voice. As the thought crossed her mind, she couldn't help the smirk that flashed across her features.

"Tell me something about yourself that I wouldn't guess," Rey finally broke the silence again. She was half expecting a rude remark and half expecting an honest answer. She wasn't entirely sure which one she wanted - she knew nothing about Xander which meant she had no way of knowing what was potentially coming her way.

Rita trusts me more than I trust myself, Xander initially thought but the thought was quickly scrapped – how moody – and he finished the last of the few nuts in his hand. Instead, to her reply Xander only gave a soft sound of agreement, and then the silence came and he almost drifted off to sleep again lost in his own thought.

“Something about myself?” His brow raised and he looked over at Rey. Something she wouldn’t guess? That was risky. There wasn’t anything about him that he was willing to share that wasn’t guessable. He clicked his tongue, “Information has a price.” He rubbed his index and thumb in a sign for coin, and looked at the space in front of them. “You tell me how you ended up on Jakku, and I’ll tell you something about me.”

That was fine with him too. Exchange had its wins. He let her take a moment to decide, clearly showing he wasn’t going anywhere and wasn’t going to tell her anything until she spoke first. He listened to her story and kept his own relatively short. This one was true. It wasn’t something he feared nor hid, it wasn’t associated to his past old life in any way. Few would even suspect. “I was a space pirate when I was a teen. Part of a gang in the Outer Rim.” He ran a hand through his hair, a rather dumb grin on his face. “Not joking.” He gave Rey a sidelong glance but the grin didn’t drop off his face. “Kid’s gotta do what he can to survive.”

Rey shrugged her shoulders in response, pouting the slightest bit. It had been a good enough question she thought, whatever he decided to share had to be just a bit entertaining. It wasn't until he asked something of his own that Rey tensed. Her eyes narrowed, her stomach lurching. She didn't trust Xander not one bit, not enough to tell her why. But as the silence filled the air yet again, she realized that there wasn't too much choice in what she did. She either died or boredom or, at the very least, gave him some sort of answer.

"I was waiting for someone," Rey finally answered. It was the truth with a few key details omitted. She was waiting for her father to return, after leaving her when she was a child. Why she had been left behind, Rey had no clue but she had a few different ideas. Her favourite was that her father had gone on a top secret mission to save the world and he just hadn't quite finished. He would surely return soon, it had been so long since she had been abandoned that he just had to come back soon. The idea that he was no longer alive had never even crossed her mind, in a serious manner. Any time the idea had popped up, Rey forced it away. She couldn't stand to consider the idea.

Rey wasn't entirely sure what she had been expecting for Xander to say but space pirate hadn't been in. She let out a laugh, tossing a look his way. "Space pirate? I guess I shouldn't really be surprised but... I am," she muttered the last few words, not wanting to appear foolish to him.

"What made you decide to aide the Resistance? You're not exactly against Kylo if you were helping him just two days ago... so what changed your mind? No way that you can go back now, if Kylo catches wind of you being on our side, he'll not be too keen on the idea," Rey spoke up, hoping to steer the conversation away from herself. She wasn't someone who liked to talk about herself, there wasn't really much for her to say. A human scavenger that made her living on Jakku, the only thing that was interesting was the reasoning behind being on Jakku. And even then, she couldn't even say why she had been there. Not really, any way.

"Who were you waiting for?" Xander asked after a polite pause. It wasn't a question of demand, more of a curious one that has just simply come out of his mouth before he could even stop it. He has limited knowledge on her, as she only had become a subject of interest to many in the past few days and wasn't of any use to him before. The question hung in the air and Xander was already putting possible answers to it. "Parents?" He guessed and looked over. "Grew up alone? Can't relate. I ran away from mine to become a pirate." That last bit was false. But the practiced perfection over many years was natural to him, it was part of his fake past, and it was almost believable to him too. Anything better than the truth.

He laughed when she admitted she was surprised and stretched a little in his chair. "Why? Is it because I don't look like one?" He teased, shifting in his chair again to be more comfortable.

His cheerful tone seemed vanished when she asked why he joined. "My own benefit. Would rather have many clients than only one." Of course there was more to it. But he wasn't going to tell her that. He would recite that sentence until her ears bled. "Kylo won't like it but should I decide to switch to him from you now, I have things to persuade him with. He doesn't care for loyalty." Neither do I. Xander didn't look at Rey as he spoke. "I take what's most beneficial to me. Contracts are just things on paper and sometimes paper burns." He shrugged and only now looked at her adding before she could call him loyaless. "I put my loyalty into things greater than a piece of paper."

Rey's shoulders tensed up as Xander asked the question that everyone did, when they found out she was waiting on. She offered only a slight nod of her head to confirm before popping another few nuts into her mouth. "Father is all I remember. I don't think I ever knew my mother," she admitted finally, voice barely above a whisper when she finished. It was a sore subject for her, especially now that she wasn't able to sit on Jakku and wait for her father. What if he came back today? Or tomorrow? She would never forgive herself if she missed the opportunity to be reunited with him.

She half-forced a smile onto her lips and shrugged her shoulders. "Don't quite fit the typical space pirate, do you?"

Rey had been hoping for some sort of answer along the lines of hope for a better future. For a better world where order was restored and little boys and girls didn't have to grow up without a parent because they went off on a mission that they couldn't accompany on. But just like before, Rey wasn't surprised by his answer as much as she wanted it to be. "A piece of paper won't stop Kylo. Imagine what he'll say if he finds out you're on the very trip that will bring Luke Skywalker back to the forefront of the war? He's a sorry excuse for a man, I don't suspect that whatever you have will make him see things your way if you could have easily ended the war right here, right now."

Waiting for parents? Xander could hardly see the point. Get on with your life, he wanted to say, they'll probably never come back. This girl sure relied on so many other inconsistent factors in her life. Wait for parents on a crappy planet, find some old guy thats rumoured to be in a location but is probably not there - too many probably's and not enough certainties.

That was true, he didn't really look like one, and certainly hoped he didn't act like one. It took Nikolai a hell lot of time and force to whip that out of him, to stop his need to steal and strike. Resorting back to these methods would displease Nikolai and Xander didn't want the old man to be angry again. There had been enough disappointment on his behalf already.

"I didn't say I can end the war," Xander pointed out, "I only said I know and have things that he wants, things which he will make him hire me again. That's all." He rolled his eyes a little. "Things that won't end the war." Things that would only drive it further, feed Kylo's angst and lust for power. But he didn't say this bit either, for saying this would probably make Rey snap out. He stood from his chair and stretched. "I'm going to sleep. Try not to run into any other pirates." It was a partial joke, but it also partly serious - he didn't have much good history with other pirates - of the ones he faced that is. Also getting caught by some was not a pleasant experience and usually a sticky situation that was more annoying for him than terrifying, but still not a good one. He turned and headed out.

Rey was silent as Xander responded. She grit her teeth, biting back a remark that had slipped to the tip of her tongue. Her eyes narrowed a bit as she shot a glare toward him. "You underestimate my pilot skills. I can outmaneuver any pirat who wants to come our way," she spoke, her annoyance rather clear. She turned away from him, not bothering to offer anything else when he turned to leave.

---

Hours upon hours had gone by. Rey had alternated between telling somewhat horrible jokes about their companion to BB-8 and turning the auto pilot on whenever she got too tired, so she could pace around the room for a few minutes. At one point, she was pretty sure that she had fallen just under but BB-8, ever alert, had woken her with his frantic beeping. They were nearing the planet that the map had led them to. Thirty or so minutes left. Autopilot on, Rey stood. She stretched her arms above her head, groaning as the act stretched the bruises that littered various parts of her body.

Rey made her way toward the sleeping quarters, not bothering to be too kind as she knocked on the metal door, loud as ever. "We're approaching, sleeping beauty. Might want to think about freshening up considering we're about to make contact with a famous Jedi knight," she said, a small smirk toying its' way onto her features. Once she was confident that Xander wasn't about to fall back asleep, Rey turned and stalked away from where Xander lay.

Sitting back down in her seat, Rey couldn't help but be a little fearful. Doubt had curled into the pit of her stomach, what if Xander was right? Luke could be dead or just plain not there and they would be right where they had started. A jedi down and then, they would have to accomplish another problem. Rey would need to learn the ways of the Force. Shaking the thoughts from her mind, Rey busied herself with taking her hair down and brushing through it. Glancing up as she heard Xander nearing the cock pit, her eyes narrowed a bit. "Did little buddy get enough beauty rest in or do I need to take a detour?"

Her words didn't bother him, he wasn't going to doubt it but he wasn't going to blindly trust her either. Regardless, he went to his room and spent the next hour or so twirling a ball in its spot midair, before he tired and fell asleep, letting the thing fall to the ground. He didn't dream but his sleep was light and uneasy. The anxiety of meeting Luke, seeing that face again, was building and he couldn't.

When Rey came to wake him up, he didn't spend long getting up - ignoring her words once again and finally emerging from the sleeping quarters looking and smelling fresh but his dark hair still damp and his dark eyes half open and his brows moved together into a dissatisfied frown. He approached the cockpit and looked down at her as Rey brushed her hair. His brow twitched, "Buddy?" What the hell?

He sat (or rather, more like flopped into the chair) and ran a hand through his own hair, sticking it up a little and fixing his rolled up sleeves. He smirked at her and her hairbrush. "Getting all pretty to meet the said famous Jedi knight? Are you going to put make up on too?" he teased, "He's old you know." He looked back at the approaching planet and took a breath, shoving his hands into his pockets and concealing them behind the armrests so she wouldn't see him clenching and unclenching his fists in nervous anticipation.

Of all the things he thought 6 years ago he'd be doing, this wasn't it.

Xander adjusted his sitting position and put on whatever safety needed as they prepared to land, focusing only on the blinking dials to distract himself, to calm himself. No use getting all wound up. He'd lose control and maybe a few things might break and certainly that wouldn't be good for the ship.

Rey looked up to Xander with a beaming smile, nodding despite the look that he was giving her. Something between amusement and annoyance. Ah, well. She had enough experience with being on peoples' bad sides that being on his bad side wasn't going to bother her. Not one bit. "Yeah! BB-8 and I've decided that you are my travelling companion. My little buddy! What else would I call you?" She asked, almost sounding confused. Almost. But she knew exactly what she was doing. Xander had gotten under her skin and now she would poke and prod him until she could find what buttons to push to garner the same reaction.

She turned back just as she began to pull her hair back into her usual hairstyle - three small buns. Rey paused, just about to drop her hairbrush as Xander spoke. Her eyes narrowed as she brought her arm back, ready to throw the damn thing at him. But it seemed that BB-8 was one step ahead of her, at least. She looked back up to Xander again, unable to hide the smirk that lit up her features just as BB-8 shocked Xander. "Maybe yooou should leeearn to thiiiink befooore you speak!" Rey half sang the words as she shoved her brush back into her bag.

"Besides. I'm not remotely interested in a relationship," Rey muttered, rolling her eyes at the thought. She had never been in one, nowhere near close. There had been the one night where she had been kissed but that had been nearly six years ago. That hadn't counted, she had decided but then, she had gotten closer to another scavenger. They had been as close as she had let anyone get to her, things only went sour when he had tried to get more than a simple peck on the lips. It had sent her stomach to her feet and she had panicked and that had been that. Rey was almost thankful though, it meant that she could focus more on survival. Eventually she would find her parents with no one taking her attention. Right until she met Finn and BB-8.

Rey's heart started pounding as she pulled the ship into a smooth landing. This was it. Thiss was where things either got a whole lot better or... a whole lot worse. She drew in a deep breath, glancing down to BB-8 and then up to Xander. She hoped he couldn't pick up on how nervous she was. "Guess we should get this over with?" She spoke, flipping the switches on the dashboard until the ship had powered down. Rey stood, turning to make her way off of the ship.

My little buddy. What the actual hell. Somehow, just somehow, it irked him to no end. There were three things wrong in that three-worded sentence. First of all, 'buddy'. Xander didn't know how anyone would actually perceive him but buddy was definitely not on the top list - at least he hoped not. It sounded so childish and small and vulnerable. Something cute, and he definitely didn't want that. Secondly, 'little'. Again, childish and small and associated with cute. He was not little. She was. Definitely not him. He stood at least a head taller than her. For crying out loud. And thirdly, 'my'? He was no possession of anybody but his own damn self.

Xander huffed. "You can call me by my name." He pressed his lips together. The attempt to hide his displeasure with the newfound nickname was great, and he was sure he had failed slightly and she would catch whiff of it. Perfect, just excellent. Fucking great.

Her arm moved back,and Xander almost flinched ready to catch the brush should it be hurtled at him. Rey 1, Xander 1. He had gotten her back, though his victory didn't last long. Suddenly the round damned robot was beside him and there was pain in his leg again. in the same spot. Xander clenched his teeth and suppressed a groan, though a small sound did escape his throat. "I swear," he saw the robot move to him again and shut his mouth. Not now. Later. He'd get the little shit back later. Shooting Rey a small glare, he couldn't hold back and blurted out, "Of course you're not. Don't worry, nobody is interested in being in one with you anyway." Cold? Yeah. Mean? Yeah. But being rude was kind of in his pirate nature now, and a part of him. But already he could imagine Nikolai stirring in his sleep or wake and gripping something in his hand. If Nikolai could teleport, the old man would be hear and smacking the back of Xander's head.

The landing was done, and they were here. The door opened and Xander stared at it, watching as Rey made her way down the ramp when they finally got to it. He hesitated, rolled down his sleeves, made sure his weapons were at his belt and followed. The wind blew strong, and he used it as an excuse to pull his hood over his head, half concealing his face. If she was nervous, he didn't see it - and only because he was focusing on trying not to let his own nervousness show out. He followed her quietly, glancing around now and then, wary, tense and ready to strike.

"I thought little buddy was your name?" Rey asked, face breaking out into one giant, shit-eating grin. She couldn't help it. She had succeeded in her own personal mission, in just a matter of hours. Probably should pat herself on the back for that one. The way that Xander was huffing and scowling was all the indication that she needed to know she'd managed to dig under his skin. He seemed ready to irritate her, irritating him was only fair. Rey had been in a relatively good mood, despite how nervous she felt. His side comment sort of deflated her though, her shoulders sinking as she ground her teeth together. While Rey was comfortable not being in a relationship now, everyone dreamed of being in one at some point.

Rey's fingers clutched the strap of her bag, knuckles turning white as she moved down the ship's ramp. She needed to prove Xander wrong. He couldn't be right. Once her feet were back on solid ground, Rey glanced behind her, raising an eyebrow. "Are you coming or does wind scare you, buddy?" She asked, brows raising in mock concern. BB-8 left behind, they were now completely alone. "You'd think being a space pirate, you'd be able to brave the tiniest bit of wind!"

It took a few minutes of walking, her steps careful when she had to move over large rocks. Once they crossed, she looked up to the top of the cliff they would need to climb to get to the top. "Can't you just get us to the top?" She grumbled to herself, not particularly caring if he heard. She wouldn't have accepted any help, even if it had been offered. Rey groaned once before beginning the journey to the top of the mountain.

"No, my name is Xander." At this point he just sounded like he was convincing himself instead. He furrowed his brows, rubbed his temples and turned away - not catching the successive win of his side comment. Even though he would have happily gloated at it any day, right now he was just much too nervous. All this rested on the walk up this goddamn mountain to the top to see Luke and-

Xander scowled at Rey and her comment about wind but again he didn't say anything. At least the damn robot wasn't around. He considered rebuffing her words with saying something like 'its not the wind' but felt it would give away more than if he just shut up now. Let her think this wind bothered him, though with her mock concern Xander felt she didn't believe that this wind was bothering him, and was doing it all to spite him. He only shrugged and walked on.

Reaching the cliff, he inwardly swore. If they were going to be trekking all over this he would have volunteered to stay home and probably not even ally - he hated rocks with a passion. Trekking was not his thing. It wasn't that he was scared, no, it was just so damn annoying. Stupid slips and skippering slopes and slippery surfaces and jagged edges and cut hands. Despite that, he effortlessly walked over them, scoffing where Rey struggled.

Xander gave her a sidelong look. Get her to the top? "Sure. But I might drop you on the way." In other words, no he was not going to push them up. Not because he couldn't, but precisely because he could but he'd also throw them over maybe and then they'd both die. Even if today was a bad day, he didn't want to die just yet.

The climb was tedious (though to spite Rey he did his best to not show it and occasionally cheated, using a bit of Force here and there when he didn't want to risk stepping on a lose rock), and he did contemplate on just throwing himself up with some Force, but eventually they made it, and he looked at the little flat space where a fire had once been, and what looked like the remains of a shelter once occupied. But there was not a soul in sight. "Looks at that! He's not here! Time to go home." He said, doing very little suppress his relief, and turned around to head back, shoulder shaking but not from despair - from joy. He wasn't here. Luke wasn't here. Not here. Gone. Poof. Just like that. A massive relief rolled over him. No Luke. No fear. Time to go home.

Rey was used to trusting herself and her footing on sand piles that were so many times taller than she was. Sand was sure to give way under her way and that was easy enough to take if she tripped up. Climbing atop rocks though, that was entirely different. She could seriously injure herself and that wasn't exactly what she wanted. Not if she was about to meet the Jedi that she had grown up thinking was just a myth. What few whispers of the Skywalkers she had had on Jakku had been mostly negative but all had been centered around the fact that they didn't actually exist. Or maybe, it was that there was no way that he was still alive.

Finally reaching the top of the cliff after what she was positive had been years, Rey looked around. Every time she happened upon a planet that actually had more than a few leaves of greenery, she was amazed. All she had known growing up was sand for miles and miles, as far as the eye could see. And when you got as far as you could see, and looked further, it was just more sand. After a certain point, she had started secretly doubting whether trees and different plants actually existed or if they were just a thing of the past.

Her face fell as she realized they were still just as alone on the island as they had been when they approached. Luke Skywalker wasn't here. He wasn't at x, he wasn't where the map had said he would be. Which ultimately meant that Xander was right. Rey's face hid her emotion rather well as she began to look around, almost frantic in trying to spot some sort of clue. Xander just couldn't be right. Luke wasn't here, that didn't mean he was dead. Until she was given irrefutable evidence to the contrary, she would go on believing he was alive. A feeling that she couldn't quite explain made her trust that he was.

"That doesn't mean there's not a clue that will point us in his direction. Don't seem so excited that our mission could potentially fail, buddy," Rey spoke, her tone just a bit strained. She wanted to give up at that very moment but if she did, it wouldn't just affect her. It would eventually affect millions of beings, she couldn't just let it go. Not this easily.

"Come on. This way," Rey said, motioning toward the hut that seemed like it had been touched in ages. She ducked inside, squinting as she moved things around, desperate to discover something to prove that maybe Xander wasn't as right as he hoped he was.

Xander stopped at the edge of the cliff and looked back at her. The joy had fallen off his face and now, although he was relieved, he was desperate to get off this place. Go home and forget. Drink a bottle of alcohol, pass out and wake up next morning without a memory of today. But this girl was persistent. He ignored the 'buddy' word, though it certainly pulled at him as it flew past.

With a rather annoyed look he followed her and stood at the entrance, his arms folded and looking in but not helping. He didn't want to help. He didn't want to find Luke. Everything had been fine until Kylo decided to go target this girl and oh how Xander wished this girl did not exist. He would be happily on his base right now, not caring for anything.

"There's nothing here. Let's go." He said firmly but quietly, feeling a wave of anger and irritation wash over him for a reason he couldn't explain. It felt like guilt. But this girl was persistent, he knew, and he knew it so well that it bothered him more. She just kept looking through stuff. And Xander tried to count and calm, but it didn't work. Seeing Rey look for some stupid clue soared this possible guilt feeling and he snapped.

"Why don't you just give up? He's not HERE. FACE IT." He shouted. In a split second, the Force was out of his control. It was like a small tornado ripped through the hut, things shot up and flew here and there, smashing against walls. Xander felt he was drowning. He couldn't breathe. In his mind, he struggled to surface, and once he got that breath, he took control again and all the objects dropped to the ground. Pots smashed, sprayed dirt, books fell open, canteens and plates tumbled and skittered.

The one clean hut now was a mess.

A book had fallen in between them, and a single folded piece of paper fell out. It was all very cliche, the paper basically screamed 'pick me up, unfold me, READ me'. Xander glared at it, and wished he could set fire to everything so this paper and its contents could burn too. He didn't know what the paper contained, but had a feeling it was something important. He clenched his teeth, forcing back the words that danced on his tongue, and begged to be let out. Xander didn't say anything. He turned sharply and walked out, headed to the open space, needing air and wind and some time alone.