The Art of Broken Pieces

52 Porgs (159 On the Moon)

Leaving Rey at the Betrayal, Ben spent the afternoon at the villa distracting himself with over-priced reports coming in from several of the planetary information brokers. It was a puzzle, piecing together fragments of rumor, overheard whispers at extravagant parties, money that traded at random and disappeared into protected accounts. It was easier not to think about Rey as long as he kept himself focused on the First Order, on bringing them down once and for all. The Empire, the First Order, whatever power would try to rise next, such powers were a pervasive enemy that he could devote his life to rooting out and eliminating. It would have to be enough.

He lost track of time when he heard her come in, moving through the outer rooms of the villa. He heard the faint beeping of the droid that he had bought for her, hopefully the trim and polite machine would make it easier for her to settle in for the time they had to spend on Aurelia. As long as Rey didn't disassemble it and sell off its parts in a fit of irritation. It was an acceptable risk.

Breaking away from the small computer at which he had been working, Ben checked their buy-ins for the evening's auction. It was billed as an auction for 'rare collectibles and artifacts', and among them were three pieces supposedly recovered from the ruins of the First Order's stronghold. Looted, more like, if they were even legitimate at all. It amazed him what collectors would buy to appease strange fascinations. It was no wonder that powers like the First Order always seemed to have a foothold to rise from, with the elite's strange obsession with power and the morbid. It had not escaped his notice that if he were at all so inclined, it would not be difficult to build it all back again, to start over.

He shoved down the thought, turning away and readying himself for the evening. A small half-mask completed his attire, a token thing of dark gold latticework that was intended less to conceal than to invoke the spirit of concealment. A thin veneer of anonymity that offered comfort to the rich and powerful while still allowing them to study one another and draw conclusions.

Sending out a request for a private shuttle to escort them, Ben moved out into the public area of the home and waited for Rey to finish her 'negotiations' with her new droid companion.

"Ow, ow, OW!" Rey pulled her head away from the jabbing pin, only to thwack her temple against the droid's curling iron appendage. She'd showered and allowed the thing to adjust her lace robe and cinch the belt and turn the sleeves just so.

The cosmetics were a bit harder to take. She'd expected only a slight tint to her lips and eyelashes, perhaps a bit of the lid shimmer she'd seen on other faces. Twenty minutes into the endeavor, Rey had realized her mistake, but it was too late to turn back. Now, with her face feeling five pounds heavier, she was chagrined to find that most of it would be covered by a stiff black mask that covered the top half of her face.

The intricate updo was the last straw. She battled the droid into something simpler, which still seemed to require about a million pins and three separate sizes of curling tong. Rey was beginning to feel half bionic.

"Your hair, Madam Tahn," the droid said, and its oval face went reflective.

Rey's nostrils flared. She certainly didn't look like herself. The creature in the mirror was at once delicate and menacing, with all that dark liner—prettier than Rey had ever looked. She wasn't sure it was worth the effort.

Still, she would have liked to show Finn and Rose and Poe. They'd have enjoyed it, in different ways. And their enjoyment might help her accept and like it more.

Rey put a hand over her chest, felt her heart pumping against her sternum. She was not herself. But maybe right now, that was a good thing.

Fitting her feet into the boots, Rey caught her balance, ignored the droid's offer to pierce her ears for the appropriate accessories, pushed away the ribbons and feathers and tiny hats it offered, and stepped into the foyer to find Ben.