a couple of drabbles set post-TFA, from Rey's perspective, i hope you enjoy them.

i. rumours

Rey's used to people's staring and whispering by now. Murmurs of the Force, of Luke Skywalker and her name, of the Jedi. She doesn't expect to catch Finn's name, her ears tuned to any word of him. He's been on a mission with Poe for a few days now.

"Apparently General Organa is thinking about promoting him-" a droid, looking like a silver C-P30 mutters to a small cleaning droid, who whirrs and buzzes in reply.

Rey smiles softly as she rounds the corner. If anyone deserves to be a General, it's Finn. He's talented, he's strong.

"Oh, her?" the silver droid continues. "I think that's his girlfriend."

Heat rushes to Rey's cheeks, but she doesn't stop to correct them that she and Finn are not, in fact, dating. As far as rumours go, those are both ones she likes.

ii. attachment

Rey has never missed anyone before.

She's waited, 15 years in fact, for her family. She can hardly remember them. A glimpse of a bright smile, a trace of warm hands on her shoulders, and she clings to it. They must have loved her. They must have. But here, on the remnants of a planet, hidden away in the far reaches of the galaxy, she's had to realize what she's known deep down for years: they're not coming back. So she moves on. And she doesn't miss them, not really; she supposes she can't miss what she can't really remember.

But she does miss Finn. Her memories of him are painfully fresh, the brightness of his smile, the lightness in his laugh. The warmth of his hand, holding hers. She feels a little bad of shrugging him off. She just wasn't used to physical contact. Now, she wishes he was here with her, to keep her company.

Luke is a kind man but a very, very tough teacher. Beads of sweat drip down her brow as she balances her full weight on her less dominant hand, pressing into the soft earth of the small islands, surrounded by sea. She's never been around so much water, or wetness. Now that she knows what it is to be among friends - or, a friend - it is more isolating than ever to be apart. Especially when she had to leave before he woke up.

"You are distracted," Luke muses, watching her with thoughtful eyes.

Rey groans, her arm shaking, muscles straining to keep her upright, but she gives in and lets herself crumple onto her back, landing on the damp grass with a soft thud. "What makes you say that?" she doesn't mean for it to sound slightly sarcastic, but it creeps into her voice anyway as she slips off her grey gauntlets, the cool air refreshing on her sweaty skin.

"Your thoughts keep wandering, young Padawan," Luke strides over to her, only instead of holding out his hand to help her up, he simply sits down next to her. "The Force isn't even necessary to tell. There is something on your mind, troubling you. Your attachments are clouding your concentration."

"Attachment," Rey mumbles. Luke hums, raising his eyebrow in a wordless question. "Attachment, like singular...He...I had - have a friend. He's injured, Kylo nearly killed him, the doctors say he's in a coma and I wanted to be there when he woke up but..." she pushes herself into a sitting position, blinking rapidly. "I suppose that's a bad thing though? A Jedi must release their attachments. Or at least that's what the old stories say. I'll have to let him go, right?"

Luke seems to ponder this, and Rey wishes he'd just give her an answer. "Yes, and no."

"Oh that's a very clear message," she snaps.

Luke merely chuckles. "You didn't let me finish." Her angry look softens. "An attachment can be both a good and bad thing. When the Dark side is most tempting, you must cling to your loved ones to guide you towards the Light, whether they're the reason you're in pain or not. You can love him fiercely, just do not let that love destroy you."

"I..." a lump rises in her throat, because she was going to say she doesn't love Finn, how can she when she's so unsure of what love even is? But she thinks of him, the first person to ever come back for her, and of his pain giving her the strength to face Kylo, how he had nearly died for her. If that is not love, than what is? "I'll...take your lesson to heart," she says finally, swallowing hard.

In what way she loves Finn exactly, she still isn't sure, but she does know she loves him.

Luke's eyes turn sad, yet a fond smile graces his lips. "I'm sure you already have."