[open] so don't stop me now

[volitaunt]

who: Poe Dameron (and by extension BB-8) + YOU
what: Catchall log
when: The remainder of November
where: Multiple locations
warnings: None at the moment, will edit as needed.



i. perimeter guard: aerial survey & exploration

[ Poe is making out with getting to know the Intrepid. At the moment he's underneath the ship on a rolling dolly, keeping up a steady stream of commentary to BB-8 while he roots around in an open panel.

BB-8 is next to him, projecting a hologram of the inner workings of the ship. ]

--deflectors aren't bad, but this baby has nothing on an X-wing. No offense. [ That last bit is directed at the ship, which he pats before going back into its insides. ] I'm thinking we can squeeze a little more speed out of these thrusters if we modify the thermal vents. What do you think, buddy?

[ BB-8 chirrups his support for the idea as Poe emerges again, hair sticking up from sweat and face marked with grease. ] Need to clear it with Jim first. Man, if Jess were here, she'd go to town on this thing.

ii. also... perimeter.... guard..........

[ Poe isn't really the weight lifting type. It's boring, for one thing. A static exercise. If he can't be in the air, he'd rather be in motion.

Which is why he's in the Perimeter Guard's fitness area whaling away on a few of the standing targets instead. Kicks, punches, all relatively basic moves executed at high speed. He knows enough to get by in a hand-to-hand combat scenario, but he's no advanced martial artist. The moves he knows are enough to get him a full-body workout, and that's good enough for him. His accuracy isn't great, not when his muscles protest this particularly vigorous abuse, not with the numbness in his arms and legs that gives way to tingling pain somewhere close to the surface of his skin. It makes him grateful the First Order didn't go after his hands. He can deal with the time it takes for the rest to heal.

--Also, he's talking to BB-8 the whole time he moves, conversation punctuated with grunts and the sounds of impact. ] --can't let ourselves get comfortable, you know? We-- need to be ready to-- move at a moment's notice.

[ He pauses, and BB-8 rolls over to the edge of the practice mat with a towel held in one maintenance grip and a water bottle in another. Poe takes both, taking a drink and wiping his face, speaking while his face is in the towel. ] Need to figure out a high-speed way to get a hold of Rey and Finn, so if they line the portal up or whatever it is they need to do we can hit it together. A kind of emergency signal.

iii. a park

[ He's jogging, focused on the motion of legs and arms, entirely absorbed in the rhythm. BB-8 rolls along in his wake, the droid more interested in their surroundings and the things in them than keeping up. At least since they're in public he's not rambling at his droid this time??

But you can bet if BB-8 sees something interesting or someone familiar, he'll detour away from his owner. ]

iv. a bar!

[ Poe doesn't drink much, and he doesn't let his pilots drink either. It's too much of a risk when they need to be ready to move the second intel or orders come in. Still, he likes people watching, and bars are a pretty good place to do it. (BB-8 elected to stay at the communal housing building.)

He is definitely not trying to avoid sleeping, because he's definitely not getting more tense with every day that goes past. Old habits, though. He's nursing a tonic with lime, since it's what the bar tender suggested for someone who doesn't want alcohol. ]

v. wildcard

[ Something else? Hit me! ]

Comments

iv

[talentedscavenger]

[Rey was concerned about Poe. The fact that he had been here before, and then had left only to come back. It was...it was a whirlwind of emotion. Sure, they had that meeting between the three of them, but she was still concerned. Or maybe she couldn't get her mind to wind down enough for her to go to bed...

Regardless of the reasons why she was still up, she went out looking for Poe and managed to find him at a bar. The staff isn't slung over her shoulder, but the small pack that contains the lightsaber is. She doesn't go anywhere without it.

Even if she wasn't old enough to drink, or maybe she was, she walked in and saw him there. Without saying a word, she moved to sit next to him, and quietly asked for a glass of water.]

[volitaunt]

[ Poe smiles at her in welcome, nodding to the bartender as the woman gets Rey her water. ] We'll take one of those appetizer mix things.

[ To Rey, he says: ] Before you protest me paying for it, it's only polite to get some food when you're having drinks like ours in a place like this.

[talentedscavenger]

[Actually, Rey was going to protest that she wasn't hungry, but Poe already has her beat to it.]

You don't have to be polite, you know. [Well, she wouldn't consider it rude or polite either way. The bartender nods and gives Rey her iced water.] I will be paying either way. [No if's or but's about it.

She gives him a small smile in return though, turning a little to face him better.]

How long have you been sitting here?

[volitaunt]

[ He holds his hands up--far be it from him to protest that kind of finality. At the question, Poe tilts his head and scratches the back of his neck, considering.

There are a variety of answers he could give here. Most of them would probably invite further questions, so: ] Not too long. Just getting a feel for the night life around here.

[talentedscavenger]

[Rey tilts her head to the side a little, gauging Poe, debating if she should leave his answer be or push a little more. Her eyes look down at the glass he had.]

Seems like you've been here longer.

[She'll...gently nudge him a little.]

Don't think there is much of one, but I don't go out. I've been trying to do research, or work.

[volitaunt]

I'm a quick drinker.

[ LIES, ALL LIES. ]

What kind of research?

[talentedscavenger]

[Why you lie to her, Poe?]

Uh-huh.

[Not buying that what so ever.]

Trying to see if there's anything I can learn about the Jedi or the Force in a holonovel or a book. Anything at this point.

[volitaunt]

[ Poe, being Poe, looks directly into Rey's eyes and chugs the rest of his glass like it's his gotdamn job.

Of course, what she says next gives him pause. ]

Ah. [ He taps the now-empty glass against the counter. ] I wish I could help. Have you even found things from our world?

[ Our world, our universe. Still bizarre to say out loud. ]

[talentedscavenger]

[ Rey doesn’t bat an eye to Poe downing his drink. Right at that moment the bartender comes back with their food. Shedoesnt touch the food but asks to have what Poe’s having and to get him another drink too.

He wants to drink? Fine, but she’ll be here if he starts to get tipsy or drunk. ]

No, I haven’t. There isn’t much of our world here, expect the people...and BB-8. [ But she can still listen to the Force and use it...there’s that too. ]

Are you upset that I didn’t tell you sooner? [ Him being here before...and her too. ]

[volitaunt]

[ It's a good thing, Poe decides, that it's just tonic and lime. He doesn't want to have to explain to Finn how he accidentally got Rey drunk by being an ass. ]

I don't know how much help he'd be, but you're welcome to quiz BB-8 to see if he's got anything in his databanks.

[ It takes a second for Poe to realize what she means, mostly because he's been trying not to think about that whole situation too much. He waits until they have their drinks, for once thinking through his answer. ]

No. How could I be upset with you? How are you supposed to just tell a person something like that?

[ He rests a hand gently on her forearm, as though that small contact can emphasize his point. ] If anything, I owe you an apology. I don't know what happened to him--to me--but I can't believe he--I would leave you here willingly.

[talentedscavenger]

[Well, there's still a good chance they could get drunk. If Rey finds out he's not drinking any alcohol, then she wouldn't be too worried. But in the name of friendship and stubbornness, they could possibly push each other to drink.]

I could, but I don't think he'd have much information...worth a shot thought.

[Maybe there was some file that could be beneficial. Wouldn't hurt to try.

She reaches for her drink, fingers brushing against the cool glass, feeling the condensation there. He wasn't upset...and he felt guilty. There's a shake of her head, moving her hand away from her glass to rest on his.]

No, you don't. I should've made sure you were okay. I was worried that...that something happened. I should've checked in on you more, but I won't make the same mistake.

[volitaunt]

We'll watch each other's backs. [ Watch each other's backs. Cover each other when something falls short. Poe feels briefly ill, and pushes aside the reasons for it.

He pats Rey's arm. ]

So, we're both sorry, and neither one of us is going to let it happen again.

[talentedscavenger]

Yeah, we will.

[A small promise. To cover for each other. TO have each other's backs, and if one of them found a way out of this place, they would all go together.

She moves her hand from his and opts to take a sip from her drink. There's nothing there to make her think it's alcoholic. Nothing pungent. Nothing sour. Nothing that is making her head fuzzy.]

No, we won't let it happen again, but in the mean time we'll figure out something to keep us occupied. I don't know how close you and Jim were before, but...he's a good guy.

[volitaunt]

Well, he hugged me, so we must have been at least pretty good friends. He does seem like a good guy.

[ That was awkward. Not that Poe isn't big on the hugs, but it sorta took him by surprise. ] I don't have to prove I know how to fly, so that's nice.

[talentedscavenger]

You were friends for a while, I think. You..helped with the ship. I think you and Jim helped discover it or something. [Poe would have to ask Kirk for the details, but that's what Poe, from before, told her.]

You two worked together that on ship for a while. When I came back..or came along, there wasn't much left to do. You pointed me to Jim to see if I could help out, and he helped me find a job within the Perimeter Guard.

[So without Poe...she didn't know where she'd be now.]

[volitaunt]

At least I made myself useful.

[ When in doubt, crack a joke.

He turns his glass in increments on the counter, trying to think of something else to say, trying to think of something safe. ]

He was nice to you? [ He is safer. It gives Poe distance. It gives him some kind of buffer between who he is now and whoever he was when he was here before. ]

[talentedscavenger]

['He' that was a good way of putting it. A way to mark the differences between him now and who he was then.]

Yeah, he was. The first time around when we--she and he.. [Better to refer to the version of her that was here before, but that Rey had no memory of] They were friends. They hadn't known each other very long from what He told me.

Not like the way you and I are now.

[volitaunt]

Better that way, probably. [ Poe taps his glass thoughtfully against the counter. ] That we're like us, they're like them. It makes it... I don't know, easier? Different enough not to be so strange?

[talentedscavenger]

Different...yes, but it still doesn't make much sense.

[Which was more or less the infuriating part. Rey brought her drink up to her lips, taking a few more sips of it.]

When Obi Wan was here, he told me to listen to the Force. To let it guide me, but if it had brought me-us--them here at one point, and then away, only to be back here agian...I can't help but question why.

[volitaunt]

Still can't believe you met Obi-Wan Kenobi.

[ But that's not important, or not nearly as important. ] The way I understand it... The way the General always explained it to me, the way my parents talked about it, anyway... The Force.... It doesn't do. It moves through the universe, it can guide actions, but it doesn't determine choices or predict the future without fail. It's energy. It's not without balance, without... I don't know, need, but it doesn't have a will of its own.

[ He lifts one shoulder in a shrug. ] But I'm not a jedi. What do I know?

[talentedscavenger]

I don't know much about him...but he was a Master.

[There's a shrug of her shoulders. Poe knows more about the Jedi than her.]

See, the way Obi-Wan explained it was...it was a living thing. It has a mind of its own, or guides certain actions to have certain outcomes? I don't know.

[But he knows more than her at this point.] I've been trying, and I feel like I can't make much headway on this. I haven't told Cassian and Jyn that I'm a Force User. The only people who know are you, Finn, and Cisco.

[volitaunt]

There was this book of poems and stuff my mom had about the Force. I wish I'd read more of it. The only one I really remember was one she used to quote all the time. 'What we do to one, we therefore do to all. And thus it is upon us to grant to all what we would wish for ourselves.' [ Poe takes a deeper drink, more to give himself time to think than anything else.

He reaches over to give her hand another small squeeze. ]

We have time, here. Don't try to force it. [ A pause. ] No pun intended. And you don't have to tell anyone you don't want to. You know we won't.

[talentedscavenger]

[The poem sounds like it was a lovely one. Poems or any literature was rare on Jakku. The things she found were on containers, on old ships, or elsewhere. Just signs, or small pieces of information. Nothing like an actual tome, or holonovel. Things most people would take for granted But she still learned, figured out how to read, but her script was horrible.]

It sounds like it was a wonderful poem. I didn't think you'd be the type to enjoy poetry. [Teasing a little, something to lighten the mood as she takes a long drink from her own glass.]

I know you and Finn won't say anything. I don't want anyone else to know in case.. [The First Order somehow comes here. Or if anyone form the past with evil intentions shows up. She can't call herself a Jedi, not without any training.] In case we need to fight, I want to be ready.

[volitaunt]

I'm not, really. But that was one of my mom's books. [ He taps his glass against the counter thoughtfully. ] She died when I was eight, so pretty much anything that belonged to her was... It was important.

[ His heart twists a little. He wishes she didn't have to fight. He wishes she could just learn to deal with the Force in her own time, live for a little while in peace surrounded by people who care. He's more grateful than ever these days that he had that. ] You'll be ready. With or without the Force.

[talentedscavenger]

[It's clear to Rey how much Poe's mother means to him. She finds herself reaching out to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, squeezing it a little.] Did you keep anything of hers on base? [Something to remind him of her? And to lose her at so such a young age...it made her heart ache for him.

As for the Force...there's a shake of her head.]

I don't know. I don't want to get into another battle with Kylo Ren and give him any opportunity to gain the upper hand. I don't want him to...[Get inside her head again. He managed to do it once, and unless she could find out a way to strengthen her mental walls, he could possibly do it again.] I don't want to give him any advantages.