Charisma~ Poe Dameron

Coming Home

"This is heavy, see?" Aria tried to pick up a boulder, but she most she could do was get it to push off to one side. "I can't lift it up. You try." Aria looked back at her little brother, Ben. He barely came up to her chest, and his hair was so unruly it afroed around his big head.

He stepped up to the boulder and crouched down by its side. He dug his fingers into the dirt to get under the rock, but even with all his strength it wouldn't budge.

"Careful," Aria warned him as his face turned red. "Don't hurt yourself." She bent over to grab his wrists, then she carefully pulled him away from the large stone. "Uncle Luke showed me something, he said we both have a power in us that let's us do things other people can't do." Aria kept one hand in her brother's as she lifted her other hand towards the rock. "He says it connects us to everything around us. If we think really hard and concentrate, we can manipulate that connection." Aria closed her eyes and thought of her connection to the boulder. She thought of an invisible line drawing her to the boulder in front of her, then she thought of the invisible line digging under the boulder and wrapping around it like a bow. When it was tied, she imagined it lifting up into the air until it hovered level to her chest.

"Woah!" Ben's excitement made Aria open her eyes, and just as she imagined in her head, the boulder wavered in the air. It was just beyond the tips of her fingers. If she stepped forward she could touch it, but she didn't want to. She would much rather use her connection to it to move it.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Admiration filled Aria's voice and leaked through her every pore. "Think of how lucky we are to have such a beautiful gift..." Aria squeezed her brother's hand as she looked down at him. His dark eyes widened and jaw came unhinged as he crouched down to look under the boulder to make sure it wasn't just a trick of the light.

"I want to do that!" Ben looked up at his sister.

Aria giggled as she let the boulder fall. It landed with a heavy thud and shook the ground around them. "You will, and so much more." Aria turned to her brother and pushed some of his hair off his forehead. "You will be so powerful one day, Ben. We both will, and together we can do anything."

The wind blew through Aria's hair, carrying it carefully over her face so she had the soft scent of mint with each inhale. The ground was soft under her, and the dew seeped up through her pants, wetting her butt, thighs and ankles. Aria's shoulders slumped and her hands laid open on her knees, her palms facing up to soak in the rays of sun shining through the tree tops.

The sun slowly moved over head, but Aria stayed still. Her body didn't tire as her mind reeled over and over again. She stayed in her spot, but she traveled farther than she ever thought possible.

Aria breathed in as a warmth spread over her chest, hovering just over her heart. It pulled her peacefully from her past and made her remember where she was in the present.

"Poe," She breathed out as she opened her eyes. The deep woods opened up before her, she could see for miles before it became too dark to see anymore. She loved the earthy tones around her, that's why she chose the forest to meditate. For the past two months she had traveled deep into the woods to practice just as Leia instructed. Once she found her home, the rest came easy to her. She had learned things she never thought possible.

"How'd you know?" Poe's voice sounded so harsh compared to the soft sounds of the woods around her. The birds chirping along to their own song, the wind rustling the leaves, branches rubbing together to give a symphony for the floor critters to dance to. Compared to that, even the softest voice had an edge.

Aria stood from her spot and turned to see Poe leaning against a tree. His dark leather jacket pulled across his shoulders as he folded his arms over his chest. His hair was damp from a recent shower and his curls were just starting to bounce up to their full form.