just rey.

eyeing the ground below as they walk, there is the slightest twitch of his lips.  rey’s problem — if he needed to pick one — is her inability to sound convincing.  at least not to him.  but that only endears him to her more; he knows he can expect sincerity from her.

“you all are in need of a party.  good food, better drinks, music, dancing.  perhaps we should avoid fashioning one the asgardian way —— and avoid the fighting that would certainly ensue.”

as he says it, his tone is kept light.  looking over, he flashes another one of his smiles.  bright as the sun that will soon set above their heads and equally as warm.  though his teasing cannot be helped, part of him is serious.  in such dire times, to maintain a constant air of happiness is neither achievable nor reasonable—— but they deserve to find pause, every now and then.  and after all they’d discussed those few late nights on asgard… it certainly seems rey could do with a break.

one thing she knows for sure: "good food is very infrequently found here." for a long time, she hadn't known anything other than rations, so there was nothing to miss. once her travels began, and she was fortunate enough to sample cuisine from some of the more interesting planets... she found herself disappointed by the lack of variety at home.

rey glances up at him and quickly away again. thor is smiling at her, and it makes her heart start to beat a bit faster. "there's probably some alcohol here already. maybe not a lot, but i bet snap would know where you could find it. or kaydel. i guess i should probably introduce you to someone who could ACTUALLY help you with this. it's not really my area of expertise."

with the desired ship now in his possession and a pair of helping hands, the downed stormtroopers and lieutenant croy are loaded— still unconscious— onto the transport.  for the sake of time, thor carries with him two at once.  disarmed of weapons, hands bound, they all pose little to no threat upon waking.  thor approaches the cockpit once they are all restrained and the member who’d accompanied him remains on guard whilst he pilots.

returning to ajan kloss after his call to rey—- to say he will meet her again once they’ve touched ground, the prisoners are handled, all is well— is simple enough.  upon landing, he realizes he was the first to make it back.  understandably so.  corellia, all the planets with remaining first order presence, those seeing uprisings & rebellion, will not be so easily righted from their disorder after one trip.  finishing the order off and rebuilding all that was lost will take a long time.  the galaxy will not return to normal for years to come.

defeating the final order wasn’t the end, but the beginning.

the generals are in agreement over doing this the right way.  with the scales of the war at last tipping in their favor, it is not the time to betray who they’ve been all along.  the first order will answer for their crimes, but the punishment isn’t for them alone to decide.  all the world leaders of the senate will decide together how to proceed.  thor knows that will be neither today, tomorrow, nor the day after.  they will be held in cells, again, for a long time to come.

the transport ship needs refueled and checked before another journey.  ajan kloss is hardly equipped, with its shortage of resources and abundance of jungle, to hold prisoners.  whilst the ship is worked on, it is guarded all the while.  thor assists where he can; there are weapons to be repaired, more returning injured to tend to, plans to devise.

it has been a quick few hours when the falcon lands.  thor has taken to one of the communal showers to cool off from the evening heat.  he rushes to redress in cargo pants, hurrying out of the shower while he tugs a loose fitting shirt over his head.  he wrings the moisture from his hair on his way back to her.

“rey,” he calls once he sees her, amongst the small crowd that disembarks.  “i apologize for not being there.  once i’d flown croy & the stormtroopers back…”  help was needed here.  slowing to a stop in front of her, he sighs, the stiffness he hadn’t noticed in his shoulders deflating.  “they’re to be taken before the senate.  they all will be.  a real pilot has taken on the task of transport.  and we’ve received word of more uprisings across the galaxy we will need to lend our assistance to.”

it doesn't surprise her the first order will be given official trials before the senate. rey has already spotted a few familiar faces on ajan kloss, and she'd venture to guess that finn and poe are meeting with some of the senators she and leia had once begged for aid right now. the real work has begun -- everyone will want to be INVOLVED, even and perhaps especially those that once turned their noses up at rey's pleas.

"i should talk to finn and poe. we both should, i think. to put a plan together, now that the most urgent fires are out. i guess at this point... the rest can wait until the MORNING." it isn't just that she knows that's the answer thor wants to hear. rey herself is more tired than expected; the trip was taxing on her still-slowly-repairing health.

plus, they should surely acknowledge how much everything has changed. the whole galaxy will be different now. people no longer FEAR the looming threat of the first order... and that's because of them. because of rey. her gaze skips over thor, then, looking around the hangar. there's no denying the mood on the base is different. everyone is celebrating -- HAPPY. when she looks back at him, she smiles.

subtly as can be managed, one of his knuckles brushes against her arm as they move.  that they walk so closely together, it can be mistaken as an inevitably of their proximity— he won’t say that it was intentional.  he will simply savor the current between them.

eyeing the ground, thor’s cheeks stretch with a laugh.  “burning a fire, sharing drinks, telling stories… a specialty of mine.  and a favorite pastime for asgardians.  a way for warriors to bond with one another over their experiences.”  needless to say, he looks forward to it.

“you would be surprised how many assets can be obtained by simply… speaking with people.  diplomacy is a useful skill beyond politics.  knowing how to socialize can achieve much.  but— you had mentioned that is oft not something that comes naturally to you.  i enjoy familiarizing myself with people.”  this time, when he gently bumps his elbow into her side, the playful motion is undeniably on purpose.  the smile fixed to his face— and the beam in his eyes— makes that clear.  “i will be there to help you.”

quieting, focusing momentarily on the sound of their feet pressing to the grass and dirt, thor inhales.  it is so peaceful around them, away from the base.  ordinarily, he would appreciate the serenity, but… he does want to keep her talking.  to listen to her voice.

they have been gone long enough that people are doubtlessly starting to ask after her. rey knows finn is probably growing restless -- he'll be bothered rey has waited so long to introduce thor to him. it's not that she doesn't want to. but she is undeniably dragging her feet, desperate to keep ALL of thor's attention for just a few more moments.

soon enough, she'll have to share him. the delicate bubble they've been living inside, these last few days, will burst. right now, everything feels SIMPLE. is it so wrong to want to keep things that way?

rey hums in consideration as they move through the grass. "the training course, i guess," she shrugs. "i spend a lot of my time there. i can show it to you tomorrow. it's farther out that way --" here, she gestures aimlessly to the right "-- so i don't accidentally hurt anyone. otherwise, i'm usually with the falcon. i've been translating some of luke's old jedi texts, but... that process is SLOWER. it takes more focus than i usually have." suddenly self-conscious, she averts her eyes. rey can hear how this description must sound to a prince.

"i'll take that under advisement," she winks. it's kie-speak for i'll get right on that. there is an innate trust in aunt rey and uncle thor. if they pitch something they think might be good for her? she'll try it out.

"kalari, or kalaripayattu, is a martial arts that originated in southern india. in kerala. they fight with weapons as well as using pressure point techniques - varma kalai or marma vidhya. interestingly, it can hurt as well as heal."

     "cool." one of her favorite earth words. sometimes it is the only thing to say -- and what khione describes sounds extremely COOL. "i think you'd be great at it. there has to be a way around the touching thing... something you can practice while you work at it. healing is an important skill to have. it's helped me out of a lot of tight spots. i wonder if it's something i could help you with. maybe meditating would make it easier on you to stay in the right frame of mind."

one hand on his hip, the other mindlessly fidgeting with stormbreaker, he casts his eyes around at the litter of unconscious bodies.  they won’t all fit aboard the falcon —— more urgently, he doesn’t trust their presence on the ship.  “there must be a prisoner transport ship we can utilize.”  but that begs the question: who will pilot it?  squinting, deep in thought, he exhales as he at last faces her again.

but thor trusts her. the reminder is a warm glow over her shoulders. she doesn't take for granted what a gift it is. it isn't what either of them wants -- rey's reluctant to send him off in a ship with croy and the others -- but they know it's what MUST be done. she nods.

"alright. i'll head down there and find you a ship. kaydel and i will meet you back at the base. you have our comm signal if you need anything -- anything, thor. BE SAFE."

it blows in the breeze; the gust quickens, but remains at a tolerable place.  more clouds cluster in the sky, but they’re white, and carefully avoid blocking the light.

“introducing myself to everyone will have to happen gradually, the longer i stay, but — i would like to meet as many people as time will allow for today.”  he wants to know everyone’s roles, who he will be answering to, whose aid he must seek out if ever the need arises.  who he will confront with a broken weapon will not be the same as who expertly cares for their ships.  thor slowly approaches the edge of the forest, entering once more and leaving the lake behind.

when he returns her laugh, it echoes through the canopy of trees.  “if you insist.  i will try to curb my eager spirit and be more patient.  but you did not say there are no more secrets.  while i will be patient, i am a very determined man.”  who wants to know all there is to know about her.  how she spends her spare time, alone time —— if she will grant him the privilege of continuing to join her.  

trekking back through the woods, the wind whistles between the trees.

rey clears her throat. "yes, of course," she says quickly, looking down at her hands, which fidget in front of her. "you should at least meet my friends. and... people who can help with the ships. so that you know who can assist you if there were ever an EMERGENCY."

they walk side-by-side, standing very CLOSELY together. she stifles a sigh, trying not to be too aware of his body besides hers, though it's difficult when she recalls the image of him swimming in the lake every time she so much as blinks.

her chin dips to hide a smile. "i guess i don't really think of them as secrets," rey admits. "but there are probably some stories i could spare. i'm sure you could say the SAME. maybe tonight we'll have a fire, and you can get to know some of the others. i'm sure they'd love to hear all about your travels." and she will be safe from having to talk too much about herself.

she glances up just in time to catch thor's look towards her. rey wonders what her face is doing -- her cheeks still feel hot, but the way he smiles at her sends something more electric along her skin. "that's good to hear, because i've been doing a pretty terrible job at it." not for lack of TRYING. leia has sent her to a number of planets. everyone wants to meet the last jedi. rey is meant to be a beacon of hope. the person who can end this senseless war. but diplomacy hasn't come naturally to her. none of this has.

setting his mug of tea beside him and grabbing his own bowl, he relaxes beside rey, his free arm supporting her back.

she’s the first to speak while he sips from his bowl of soup, taking a moment to chew the vegetables while he considers what she’s said.  briefly, his brows knit and thor shakes his head.  “you mustn’t fret over how little you think you’ve… contributed today.  there are going to be days when one must bear a greater emotional toll than the other.  today was about you and what you needed.”  when he turns to her, there is only patience and understanding in his eyes.  he leans forward just so to touch their foreheads together— gone as quick as it’d come, straightening once more.  “i knew all of what the promise of eternity entailed when i swore it to you.”

he wants to take care of her.  and, just as there had been in the past, there will again come days when he will need her to lean against.  her patience, her assurance, her support.  that is what it means to be a team— forever and always.

retrieving his tea, he redirects his gaze to the fire.  its flames quiver against the air, rising and dissipating to puffs of smoke that are nearly invisible against the dark sky.  his eyes trail slowly to the stars above, before falling back down to admire the shine of moonlight against the lake.  his inhale is long, held, and his exhale is heavy.

but his affection brings with it a warm glow. a smile tugs at her lips, and rey knocks her nose into his. "thank you," she murmurs, after taking a moment to swallow the lump in her throat. "you're very WISE."

returning to her soup, rey's quick to finish it off in just a few final bites. the meal is a comfort -- a taste of HOME. it's something thor invented with what is available on hyperkarn, but it was quick to become a favorite of rey's, not that there are many things she dislikes. this dish is special, though -- prepared by two loving hands, always. as she sets her bowl aside, she tucks herself in against thor's body.

"i'm not sure," rey answers honestly. "i think so. there were things i've wanted to say to them... and it meant a great deal to me to be able to introduce them to YOU." perhaps she'll never be entirely at peace with what has happened. rey isn't sure how to grieve the life she could have had if things were different when she is so content with the life she was given instead. from this distance, the suffering that befell her feels... less painful. almost like a gift, in some ways.

pulling his phone from his pocket, he scrolls to the tab in which he’d booked the reservation.  the restaurant is drenched in dim lighting, with a view that overlooks the city.  each table and booth is perfectly spaced out; the noise won’t be a disturbance.  he leans in closer to rey to show her.  “this steak restaurant is a quick drive from my house.  but — their meatless dishes looked incredible, too.”  trying to gauge her reaction, or see signs of approval, he glances up.  “if you’re comfortable with it, i’ll come by your place to take you there a half hour prior.”

just as he looks to her again, noticing for the first time how close they stand — and the rush that realization brings — the phone dings with a text from love, who has been sitting, waiting in the car outside.  simple, straight to the point, it reads: where are u.  it surprises a snort from thor who carefully tucks it back into his pocket and steps back.

“i’ll text you tomorrow.  if anything comes up, just let me know — i have no problem with rescheduling.”  

after her last lesson of the day is complete, she takes her time getting ready, spending an inordinate amount of time wondering what thor might think about nearly EVERY outfit she owns. the restaurant he had shown her looked nice -- quiet, intimate. he'd clearly put some thought into where she might like to go. rey still feels just as touched as she had been initially.

she finally decides what to wear: a soft, silky butter yellow dress with a skirt that grazes her knees. the straps of it are delicate, her jewelry gold to compliment the shade. her hair falls loose, curling gently, just barely above her shoulders. she can't help but to be NERVOUS as she assesses her reflection. it's been a while since she's been on a first date, let alone one as monumentous as this. she and thor have spent so much time together -- first becoming friends, then flirting. what if tonight isn't what he's pictured?

before she can dwell too much on all the ways the evening can go wrong, there's a knock on the door. rey rushes to answer it, smiling reflexively as soon as she sees him. "hi," she breathes, stepping aside so thor can come in. "you look great." there's too much in his hands for her to hug him immediately, so rey moves to help him with some of what he's carrying before realizing the flowers MUST be for her and flushing with a surprised sort of pleasure. "oh," she murmurs, biting on the inside of her cheek to stifle her smile. "these are beautiful. thank you."

until something shatters the silence: thor’s laughter.  it is boisterous, but lacks the warmth of his joy.  entirely unlike sitting around a fire amongst their friends, laughing at a funny story, or something rey has said.  unlike being unable to suppress delight that simply must escape in the form of a body-shaking chuckle.  it’s purely belittling… arrogant.

stormbreaker twirls in his grip.  the sentry moves as he does, its breaths ragged in anticipation.  idly, thor wonders how anything could survive on a long abandoned, desolate planet… but that hardly matters now.

“i thought you might be bigger,” he taunts.  “the fearsome, eternal sith, always plotting amongst the shadows and always returning from death.  this is the best they could muster?  the valley, the hounds, this—“

the sentry swings the mace at him, but he catches it with the blade of the axe.

“—you’ve drastically failed to live up to expectation,” he finishes through his teeth, reeling the axe back to swing at the large, armored arm.  metal clangs together in the following scuffle, piercing and bouncing off the walls.  the flames lining the walls dance against their movements.  this thing is strong— many blows land, and thor can feel the bloom of subtle pain, but he carefully avoids the swing of the mace.

until he doesn’t.  thor is pleased so long as the attention remains on him.  and, if he is honest with himself, he begins to enjoy the fight.  revel in it.  but the next their weapons catch on one another, the sentry uses that to thor’s disadvantage; with a yank, stormbreaker falls from his grip and crashes into the far wall.  in another second, the mace swings for his face.

it was prophesied that she would come here, one day, with ben. that rey has thor beside her instead makes her smile. nothing and no one in her galaxy could have prepared for him and what he can do. it surely beats any foretold legends. thor is older than even their CONSTRUCTION.

she turns just in time to catch thor falling to the floor. rey throws her hand out to yank the sentry away from him, but the body doesn't budge. with a growl, she launches herself forward, instead, driving her lightsaber through the shoulder joint of the armor and huffing in satisfaction when one outstretched arm thumps to the stone with a hiss of SMOKE.

the mace soars back into the sentry's other hand. it wheels on rey, and they quickly fall into a duel, jabbing and parrying each other's weapons over and over again. rey's grateful thor has a moment to collect himself, but without being able to use the force on her opponent, she's at a disadvantage. "you alright?" she calls out, swinging her lightsaber blindly in an effort to stab the sentry somewhere that will stop it. "i have an idea. can you take over?"

she can't unlock the chamber with just one hand, and rey supposes it's because jedi were never meant to leave this room alive. but, she thinks with a smirk, shoving her shoulder into the chest plate of the enemy before her to send it staggering back a step, she has ANOTHER hand she can try, now.

to be able to express himself freely — away from the eyes of others — is a relief.  all the while they were otherwise busy, he’d been aware of his longing, but… the weight that lifts is greater than he’d anticipated.

“well, it can entail different things for different people. i want to know what it would mean for you.  i want… you to decide the pace we shall take.”

after all, as she says, it’s new to her.  thor already knows what he wants.

“for me… as i said, moments such as this,” raising his brows for emphasis, he glances down to their joined hands, nudges her leg beneath the table, “would happen only with you.  if i am to be yours, i would have no interest in intimacy, in this form, with anyone else.”  that isn’t the entire truth; he is already disinterested in others.  “i would ask that… we trust one another.  with our thoughts, our feelings, our concerns, our problems.  we would confide in one another.  support one another.”

letting his eyes fall once more, his free hand joins the pile so the previously occupied one may escape.  it glides, very slowly, along rey’s wrist, up her arm.  thor visibly swallows, the tenderness of the moment drying his mouth, but he continues.  gently, the pads of his fingers touch the curve of her neck, where he then tucks a loose strand of hair over her shoulder.

and she doesn't want him to think of doing it with anyone else, either. rey feels particularly protective over the special moments they spend whispering in the dark. they've shared so much of themselves with each other already. the pieces that were exchanged belong to them, now. no one else can HAVE THEM.

"what sort of pace is that?" she asks curiously. rey can't say that she has any idea what might be typical, or appropriate. their lives move quickly. the relationships of her friends seem to be... intense. passionate. it's a product of the war, she thinks, but it's always seemed nice to her -- to have someone who knows so STRONGLY what they want. when interests match... why should there be any hesitation?

it's comforting that he defers to her, though. rey's shy about her lack of experience, but thor seems unbothered by her questions. his openness makes her more COMFORTABLE discussing such a sensitive subject. a light sigh leaves her lips as he touches her. rey soaks it in, enjoying every second. "that's what i want," rey says quickly, eager to assure him she, too, covets the exclusivity of these moments. thinking they will happen only with her makes her giddy.

"but that doesn't mean that you don't have some advantages of your own as well."

every so often, she and warren spar, too. to keep their respective skills sharp. she loses each time. but that doesn't mean she hasn't tried to launch herself at him at mach nine in order to try and kiss him.

a cheap trick, certainly, and one that he now knows full well, but still.

when aunt rey asks if she fences, kie responds cheerfully: "not at all! i haven't fenced a day in my life! it was the only thing that popped into my head. the closest comparison i got to the sabers, i think."

which is a good segue into the next thing she wants to say: "though i am interested in kalari - you know, the whole pressure point martial arts thing. don't know if i'd be cut out for it, considering my whole thing with touching people, but still. it's very cool."

     rey laughs. "it is a good comparison, i think." she knows LITTLE about fencing, herself, but it seems close enough to the dance they do when sparring with training sabers. real life fights, however, are usually far from elegant.

"it might be a good way for you to train before you actually use a saber. so you don't hurt yourself. there is somewhat of a learning curve." thor has SLICED through more than a few trees, after all. wielding a saber takes some getting used to.

"what's that? i don't actually know anything about it." she's learned some small tidbits about a few of the earth's martial arts -- mostly from natasha, when she was still with them, rey remembers. the thought sends a pang through her.

maybe it would be nice to learn something NEW. to keep her memory alive.

"interesting," rey continues genuinely. "i guess i'm the opposite. a lightsaber is mainly a short range weapon. thor is sort of a mix of BOTH."

the twinkle in his eyes as he watches her is apparent, and he wouldn’t try for even a moment to suppress it.  breaking their eye contact for only a beat, he glides the tip of his nose along the ridge of hers, overflowing with affection.

one hand leaves her waist only to touch her face.  his thumb strokes mindlessly at her cheek—— even as she’s posed the question.  the motion continues as his brows furrow in contemplation.  “i…  don’t want to treat what is between as something that should be kept secret.  something to hide.  i want you to be my partner, not my mistress.”

though she makes a good point.  from the very second they retire to their respective chambers and close the door on this night (perfect as it is), ushered in with the morning sun will be the beginning of their adjustment period.  denying advances and arrangements from other nobles, people of status.  integrating someone who is a stranger to his world into the very heart of it.

both opposing ideals battle each other in his mind.  thor straightens with a sigh.

lightly, she trails her fingers along his arm. rey says nothing for a moment as she considers what he suggests. would it overwhelm her? thor would be with her to guide her, of course, but she thinks it will be quite a large adjustment -- probably too much to take on at ONCE. he's right. rey nods, seemingly coming to an agreement with him. "slow sounds nice," she says. she pauses to bite briefly on her bottom lip. "what do you think your father will say?"

it won't be so terrible, rey thinks -- waiting some time to tell her friends. most of the kingdom is already aware she and thor spend time together. rey knows she has been the subject of quite a bit of castle gossip. she's already kept the secret of their meeting tonight, preferring to worry over her own hair and dress in peace without any of her friends giving their OPINIONS. "of course i can wait. i want this to be easy for you." already, rey can't help but to wonder if the challenge of integrating her into his life will be too much for thor. perhaps it will feel like more trouble than it's worth.

“we should be finished by night fall,” loki says, pulling a dagger from a concealed placed beneath their own cloak.  they’re turning to face the other two, extending that daggered hand to thor.  “after you, brother.”

“if we’re to have one we wear,” thor muses, taking the blade without question, “i can make a new necklace for you.  or a bracelest, or…”  closing his hand around the blade’s edge, he squeezes, visibly wincing as his tight grip descends.  feeling it slice through his pallm is a sharp pain, but far from the worst he’s felt.  the blade is red when its freed, his hand dripping; it remains clenched to avoid a pool on the floor.  “we can think of something.  and we’ll continue to reinforce the charms i regularly wear.”

without awaiting instruction, he approaches the cauldron he so often finds rey lost in.  over it, he opens his hand, listening to the slow, faint drip-drop of his blood as it falls.  looking over his shoulder, he returns the dagger to loki —— who pulls a cloth from thin air in a puff of emerald to wipe thor’s blood away.

it will take some time before they can move on to the next item, but loki is probably right in saying they will finish by nightfall. "yes," rey says. "come here, you can have the desk. we'll be QUIET so you can concentrate." she reaches out for thor's arm, guiding him over to the part of her workbench she usually uses for boring, administrative work -- tallying her finances and inventory.

she moves quickly behind thor to get him what he will need: paper and a pencil, charcoal, if he prefers. next to his elbow she leaves a steaming cup of tea, and rey brushes her lips at the top of his head before walking away behind him, leaving him to his work. when she reaches loki again, she pulls out a second, smaller pot, setting it on top of the table. "let's get your ingredients ready, too, so we can move quickly once thor's is done. what have you CHOSEN?"