The Rise of the Final Order - A Star Wars Story

Chapter 16

Ben Solo

Ben was not a big fan of parties. They tended to be loud and rowdy, and just general chaos, and if he could avoid them, he always did. But this one, he wouldn't miss.

He finished adjusting the sleeves of the elegant black tunic, accented with gold like all Crimson Dawn attire it seemed, he had been given to wear, waiting impatiently for Lyra to finish getting ready. They had been given their own suite to share, since they were siblings, and Lyra had insisted on getting ready in the privacy of the refresher.

"Are you almost done?" he called to her, pulling at the collar of his shirt so that it was more comfortable.

"Almost!" Lyra's muffled voice yelled back. "I just need to finish with my hair."

Ben sighed, and began to pace the floor as he waited. Almost a full minute later, the door to the refresher opened, revealing Lyra, dressed in a black and gold patterned dress. Her hair was half up in a bun, while the rest hung freely just below her shoulders.

"So, how do I look?" she asked, giving a little twirl.

"You look great," Ben assured her, offering his sister a smile, deciding not to comment on how Hux would probably be thinking the same thing.

"Thanks," Lyra chirped. "So do you." She floated past him to the door. "Now let's go! I want to see Kaia's outfit!"

Ben followed Lyra down the hall to Kaia's suite, and they waited together patiently after Lyra knocked on the door, not wanting to barge in and risk walking in on someone that wasn't ready.

It was Merrin who opened the door for them and let them in. She was wearing a gold dress that, like all of her clothing seemed to do, covered most of her body, although it still managed to look flattering, with earrings to match, and while her hair wasn't down, it was hanging in an elegant braid. She had even gone for some sparkling gold eyeshadow, which Ben had not expected. She didn't seem like the type of person to care much about makeup beyond the traditional Nightsister look.

"You're just in time," she remarked, stepping aside to let them enter, and Ben was about to ask what she meant by that when he caught sight of Kaia, just stepping out of the refresher where she had clearly just finished getting ready.

She was wearing a simple black, long-sleeved dress with a slit on one side of the skirt to reveal one of her long, slender legs. Around her neck she wore a necklace bearing the golden insignia of Crimson Dawn, but other than that she wore no jewelry, and Ben knew that even though he couldn't see them, she had her lightsabers on her too. She wore a modest amount of make-up, something Ben did not remember seeing her ever wear before, including a layer of deep red lipstick over her lips, and her hair had been styled so that it had an elegant wave to it. She looked beautiful.

She noticed him too and she paused, a bright pink flush coming to her cheeks. "Wow, you look...really good," she said, sounding almost breathless.

"So do you," Ben replied, equally as taken aback. He stepped forward, wanting to say something more, before the door opened behind him and Hux and Chena entered the suite, both of them dressed for the occasion.

Hux was wearing a simple, yet refined black tunic with a pair of matching black pants, while Chena wore a black dress that exposed her chest with a gold rolo chain necklace that both went around her neck and also had went down her chest with a matching bracelet and a black headdress like the one most Twi'lek women wore. Her lips were painted purple to compliment her blue skin and she had on a fair amount of matching eyeshadow and a thick layer of mascara around her eyes. But she didn't catch his eye the way Kaia did.