Luke Skywalker finds himself on the mysterious planet Earth whilst on a mission to locate stolen kyber crystals, which are necessary for him to craft a new lightsaber. With little knowledge of the planet, he seeks help from cynical university studen...
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Avery was homesick.
Lightly tracing her fingers over the sheet of scrap metal with that familiar bridge painted on it, she longed for the normalcy that accompanied her lifetime in Delaware.
Things were complicated now. Priya, her former roommate, apparently couldn't take her restless thrashing anymore, as Avery no longer shared her quarters with anyone. Priya was a nice girl, but sleeping next to someone who was constantly terrified, even in her sleep, was enough to test anyone's patience. Avery didn't hold it against her.
It was a bit disappointing, however, to see how her mental state was damaging her relationships with other people. She supposed that her unit respected her enough to not confront her about her exhaustion, but she was not oblivious to how their gazes lingered on the dark circles underneath her eyes. Worrying about her came naturally to Luke, of course, who was doing his best to give her space while simultaneously checking up on her.
The only relationship that seemed to strengthen throughout this ordeal was the one she shared with Leia.
"I don't like that term," the princess had told her one afternoon.
"What? 'Crazy?'"
"It feels derogatory."
"I mean, I didn't exactly say it to flatter myself," she snorted, shoving her hands into her pockets.
"Well, even if you don't think highly of yourself, it's a little bit insulting to hear you dismiss your situation as you simply being 'crazy.'"
"How is the way I choose to refer to my situation insulting?" she asked, careful to keep her tone patient, as Leia wasn't very fun to irritate.
"Well, which parts about it do you think are crazy? Because I can assure you that you're not the only one on this base who has nightmares or sees dreadful things that aren't really there. Do you think those people are crazy, too?" the princess challenged, though she didn't exactly sound angry.
"I'm not sure. I don't think so, no," Avery admitted, "I bet they feel crazy, though."
"I'm sure they do," Leia said, not unkindly, "But if you all quit calling yourselves that, then you might move through your trauma a little more easily. This is my stop. I'll talk to you another time, Avery."
"See you around, beautiful," the other girl called out after the princess, who disappeared inside of a room where what Avery referred to as 'elitist discussions' occurred.
She understood the concept of confidentiality, but the opportunity to tease was far too enjoyable to pass up. Maybe Leia was a little bit fun to irritate.
Wandering through the corridors, she occupied her time by snooping around the various rooms she was actually allowed in, still fascinated by the different types of creatures that made up the rebellion. The idea of interacting with unique lifeforms that were previously unheard to her made coping with the homesickness a little easier.
