Rey Skywalker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thatwaslucky) wrote2019-08-01 06:44 am
thatwaslucky) wrote2019-08-01 06:44 am
Entry tags:
Ahch-To- Thursday
Once again, Rey woke up first, standing outside the door when Luke opened it. She started to follow him, and as she looked out at their surroundings, said, "I've never seen so much water in all my life."
"Don't care," Luke said.
Rey suppressed a smile. Today he'd spoken to her immediately. At this rate they might have an actual conversation within a few months.
She followed him as he made his daily rounds again. Today she tried talking at his back, telling him her story, in case he'd realize all she'd gone through to get to him: all the years scavenging on Jakku, a brief touch on Fandom because that would be a tricky subject if they ever got to it, BB-8's arrival, flying the Falcon, Takodana and Starkiller Base, departing D'Qar with a Wookiee for a copilot and an ancient map for a guide. He never answered. He acknowledged her only with a vague sense of annoyance that she was there.
Eventually she ran out of things to say and fell quiet. And as she slowed behind him, she felt something, or maybe that was why she slowed in the first place. She still wasn't used to it, though having things call to her was becoming disturbingly common the last few days, and she walked silently in the direction of the source.
There was a large, very old uneti tree that was more of a husk now, with a person-sized crack serving as an entrance. It didn't look like anything special, but it didn't need to. Rey stepped inside and found it hollow, and directly ahead was a small shelf of several books, lit from another crack in the tree's surface. As Rey neared the books, they began to glow faintly, and she felt like the air was thrumming with energy. But unlike the lightsaber on Takodana, this call didn't feel like a threat. It felt like a promise.
She reached out to touch the books-
"Who are you?" Luke had followed her, and was standing at the entrance, looking at her as if seeing her for the first time.
Rey turned at the sound of Luke's voice, but she was still looking around, taking everything in. That call hadn't gone away even now that she was here. "I know this place," she realized.
He stepped inside and walked over, past her, running his hand over the books. "Built a thousand generations ago. To keep these. The original Jedi texts. Just like me, the last of the Jedi religion," he said, and considered her. It was unsettling, after the last few days of him ignoring her. "You've seen this place. You've seen this island."
"Only in dreams," she said as she wandered the small room, running her hand along the smooth wood of the tree. It felt like it was humming, and no one could hear it but her.
"Who are you?"
"The Resistance sent me."
"They sent you. What's special about you? Where are you from?"
"Nowhere."
"No one's from nowhere."
"Jakku."
"All right, that is pretty much nowhere," Luke conceded. "Why are you here, Rey from Nowhere?"
"The Resistance sent me. We need your help," she said, like she hadn't tried telling him this before. "The First Order-"
"Why are you here?"
She'd known what he was asking, honestly. She knew why Leia had sent her. She hadn't wanted to admit it. It was still difficult to admit to herself what was happening to her, and he hadn't exactly been friendly towards her so far. And yet, if she wanted his help, she had to keep her own guard down, which was something she was not especially good at.
But she took her time trying to figure out the right words. When she said them, they came out almost in a whisper. "Something inside me has always been there. But now it's awake, and I'm afraid. I don't know what it is, or what to do with it, and I need help."
"You need a teacher," Luke said simply. "I can't teach you."
"Why not?" she asked, stepping directly in front of him. "I've seen your daily routine. You are not busy."
He stepped past her, towards the door. "I will not train another generation of Jedi. I came to this island to die. It's time for the Jedi to end."
"Why?" Rey pressed. "Leia sent me here with hope. If she was wrong, she deserves to know why. We all do."
He didn't answer, and left the tree, leaving Rey frustrated and alone again.
*****
It was normally hard for Rey to sleep anyway, but today she'd curled up on the uncomfortable stone bench outside Luke's hut and tried not to think about the earlier rejection. She should have known it was coming. She was stalking him just to get him to acknowledge her, basically. That didn't mean it didn't hurt, that it didn't make her feel more lost.
Sometime in the middle of the night she awoke with a start, finding Luke standing over her in the dark.
"Tomorrow, at dawn," he said. "Three lessons. I will teach you the ways of the Jedi, and why they need to end."
[NFB, NFI, yadda yadda. Some bits taken from the The Last Jedi novelization by Jason Fry. The rest, from the movie.]
"Don't care," Luke said.
Rey suppressed a smile. Today he'd spoken to her immediately. At this rate they might have an actual conversation within a few months.
She followed him as he made his daily rounds again. Today she tried talking at his back, telling him her story, in case he'd realize all she'd gone through to get to him: all the years scavenging on Jakku, a brief touch on Fandom because that would be a tricky subject if they ever got to it, BB-8's arrival, flying the Falcon, Takodana and Starkiller Base, departing D'Qar with a Wookiee for a copilot and an ancient map for a guide. He never answered. He acknowledged her only with a vague sense of annoyance that she was there.
Eventually she ran out of things to say and fell quiet. And as she slowed behind him, she felt something, or maybe that was why she slowed in the first place. She still wasn't used to it, though having things call to her was becoming disturbingly common the last few days, and she walked silently in the direction of the source.
There was a large, very old uneti tree that was more of a husk now, with a person-sized crack serving as an entrance. It didn't look like anything special, but it didn't need to. Rey stepped inside and found it hollow, and directly ahead was a small shelf of several books, lit from another crack in the tree's surface. As Rey neared the books, they began to glow faintly, and she felt like the air was thrumming with energy. But unlike the lightsaber on Takodana, this call didn't feel like a threat. It felt like a promise.
She reached out to touch the books-
"Who are you?" Luke had followed her, and was standing at the entrance, looking at her as if seeing her for the first time.
Rey turned at the sound of Luke's voice, but she was still looking around, taking everything in. That call hadn't gone away even now that she was here. "I know this place," she realized.
He stepped inside and walked over, past her, running his hand over the books. "Built a thousand generations ago. To keep these. The original Jedi texts. Just like me, the last of the Jedi religion," he said, and considered her. It was unsettling, after the last few days of him ignoring her. "You've seen this place. You've seen this island."
"Only in dreams," she said as she wandered the small room, running her hand along the smooth wood of the tree. It felt like it was humming, and no one could hear it but her.
"Who are you?"
"The Resistance sent me."
"They sent you. What's special about you? Where are you from?"
"Nowhere."
"No one's from nowhere."
"Jakku."
"All right, that is pretty much nowhere," Luke conceded. "Why are you here, Rey from Nowhere?"
"The Resistance sent me. We need your help," she said, like she hadn't tried telling him this before. "The First Order-"
"Why are you here?"
She'd known what he was asking, honestly. She knew why Leia had sent her. She hadn't wanted to admit it. It was still difficult to admit to herself what was happening to her, and he hadn't exactly been friendly towards her so far. And yet, if she wanted his help, she had to keep her own guard down, which was something she was not especially good at.
But she took her time trying to figure out the right words. When she said them, they came out almost in a whisper. "Something inside me has always been there. But now it's awake, and I'm afraid. I don't know what it is, or what to do with it, and I need help."
"You need a teacher," Luke said simply. "I can't teach you."
"Why not?" she asked, stepping directly in front of him. "I've seen your daily routine. You are not busy."
He stepped past her, towards the door. "I will not train another generation of Jedi. I came to this island to die. It's time for the Jedi to end."
"Why?" Rey pressed. "Leia sent me here with hope. If she was wrong, she deserves to know why. We all do."
He didn't answer, and left the tree, leaving Rey frustrated and alone again.
*****
It was normally hard for Rey to sleep anyway, but today she'd curled up on the uncomfortable stone bench outside Luke's hut and tried not to think about the earlier rejection. She should have known it was coming. She was stalking him just to get him to acknowledge her, basically. That didn't mean it didn't hurt, that it didn't make her feel more lost.
Sometime in the middle of the night she awoke with a start, finding Luke standing over her in the dark.
"Tomorrow, at dawn," he said. "Three lessons. I will teach you the ways of the Jedi, and why they need to end."
[NFB, NFI, yadda yadda. Some bits taken from the The Last Jedi novelization by Jason Fry. The rest, from the movie.]