A day in the dunes

[Valae Heavenshield]

“Oh…” Valae looked up again when Dovan answered, and she kicked at the sand around her feet. “That’s good.” Her tone of voice had a false sense of enthusiasm. She knew that she should be happy for her friend, but she couldn’t chase away the gloom. Valae watched Dovan throw some of the parts over his shoulder, and she took a few steps away. Soon he would be packing up for good, and the thought made her frown. “I’ll go make some lunch.” She said as she turned away abruptly. Quick steps brought her back into the house, where she bustled into the kitchen and began to prepare lunch in a bit of a fury. It was better to feel irritable, than to feel sad.

“What’s got into you?” Came Atticus’ voice as he crossed her path, on his way to his room.

“Nothin’!” Valae snapped at him, but her expression seemed to say otherwise.

“Don’t seem like nothin’.” Atticus smirked at her and belched as he went around the corner.

Valae rolled her eyes as she slammed sandwich ingredients together. After a few more minutes, she emerged from the house with a tray of food and two iced teas. Her eyes shifted down and she cringed slightly at the sandwiches… the ingredients were stacked sloppily and some of the bread slices looked as though they’d been squeezed a bit too hard. She started to move towards Dovan to offer him a sandwich, but she thought better of it and sat down on the trailer. She would lure him into taking a break, even though he had just started to work.

“Come have some lunch.” She said, patting a space on the trailer next to her.

[member="Dovan Grey"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

Dovan felt the sand shift underneath his back as he laid underneath his ship. He had come to terms that he did not like the desert and how the sand in his clothes grated against body. The right side of his torso still was the biggest source of pain. There was a burn scar across his ribs that he assumed would be there for the rest of his life. When he crouched to get underneath his vessel, pain had shot through his body. More than any intolerance for the pain, he just waited to be healed because of his impatience.

He heard Valae return with food and call out to him to eat with her. His hands were deep within the ship and placing back the piece he had heard come dislodged after his jump to light speed. He thought about pretending that he didn't hear her, letting him continue to work. But he didn't want to do that. Firstly, because he was hungry but also he didn't want to be that rude to her. He liked her. She was a smart and kind kid. She reminded him of the people that he wanted to help protect in the Jedi. So, he pushed himself out from the ship. Wincing as he got up and his scar stretched, but he made his way over to her and sat down. He grabbed the food and started to eat, without saying much. His time with her was drawing to an end and he wasn't sure what to say and didn't want to say the wrong thing.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae watched as Dovan emerged from beneath the ship, and jumped to her feet when she saw him wince. She was about to ask if he was okay, but she remained silent as he came to sit with her. While she took her seat again, she continued to watch him out of the corner of her eyes. Dovan was quite resilient, being up on his feet and working on his ship so soon after the crash. Though, she knew that his wounds hadn’t fully healed, and he was in pain at times… but he hid it from her well. She picked up a sandwich and took a fairly dainty bite, she wasn’t very hungry, but she needed something to occupy herself. Her head turned in his direction once or twice, but she wasn’t sure what to say. She began to feel a bit awkward, as the silence grew between them.

“Is the food okay?” She asked, inclining her head. “I did the best with what we had on hand.”

Valae’s attempt at small talk was weak, and she knew it. She sighed slightly and turned away again, stuffing her mouth with a large bite of food. “What will I do once you’re gone?” She finally said, with her eyes on the ground, but she chuckled in order to lighten the mood. With all of the busy work since Dovan’s arrival, she imagined that her days would become quite empty. Valae turned to Dovan and her lips parted again, as though she were about to speak, but she smiled instead.

“Nevermind.” She shook her head. “I’ll be okay, there’s plenty to do ‘round here.” She lied. Valae stood up, grabbed her work gloves and slid them on. She stepped around to the side of the trailer and picked up her tool bag. “What can I help with?” She changed the subject, trying to project brightness in her tone.

[member="Dovan Grey"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

Dovan had always been a quick eater. He thought back to when he was growing up. Their family often ate together, mixed in with passengers of their freighters, and he could remember how quickly his father ate and when Dovan was young he had always tried to race him. That thought made Dovan happy. His memories on those ships were good ones. He was also very quiet, a trait he developed from his mother. Both of which meant that when Valae asked about the food, he was already close to finish. So, he made a grunt as affirmation that it was very good.

That's when Valae talked about her life after he left. He felt bad for the kid. He wanted to ask her more than anything why she would stay here. He assumed it was out of protection and needing to be here to help her father, something he respected but didn't fully understand. He supposed he had never had that sort of relationship, he questioned if that made him a selfish person or not. He also supposed that most people in this galaxy don't just drop their entire life and go adventuring across the stars like he had started to do. Most beings lived their life on their planet. Instead of speaking, he grabbed the tool sitting beside him as Valae got up.

"There isn't much left to do." He said. There was still a sizable amount left, enough to take him a day or two. But she had already been so gracious to him and helped him out more than he could ever repay. He didn't want to make her continue to work. However, he did add onto what he said, "But company is always appreciated." He hoped that it would cheer her up, at least being able to continue spending time with him before he left.

As he walked to the ship, he kept thinking about that moment. When he would leave. Seeing Valae turn into a speck on the sands of the planet, knowing the chances to see her again. As he sat down in front of his ship, with his back to it as he prepared to crawl underneath, he looked up at her. Young, kind, a good person. His question wouldn't leave, she needed to be out in the stars living her own life.

"Why stay?" He asked her.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae was about to walk back into the house, when she heard Dovan say that he could use some company. A wide smile stretched across her face, and she felt her heart skip a beat or two. She fanned herself with her hand, and let the smile become nonchalant before she approached the ship again. It had been a long while since a decent man like Dovan had come her way, and she couldn’t help the feelings that were starting to form. Even though they hadn’t known each other for very long, a small ember of friendship had already grown to something much more precious. It was something that she knew she wanted to keep close, something that she would not let go of any time soon.

She stood in front of him for a few moments, and she raised a brow when she heard his question. Valae sank down to the grown and crossed her legs. For a moment she was silent as she considered the answer. There wasn’t much keeping her on Tatooine, but the one reason was most important to her: family.

“For my father.” She said simply. “I know the two of you ain’t got to talkin’ much… He’s a good man, even if he’s a…” She paused, not wanting to say the word. It’s true that Atticus had fallen slave to the bottle long ago, but it was a fact that Valae chose to be blind to.

“He wasn’t the same after Mama died…” Valae said with a note of sadness. “I’m all he’s got now.”

She knew that her father wouldn’t be around forever; someday he would leave her too. She always did her best to keep that thought far away, and she tried not to let it trouble her yet. Until that day did come, she was firm in her decision to stay close to him.

“Someday.” She said with a small nod, hoping that he'd taken her full meaning.

[member="Dovan Grey"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

The next two days had moved by rather slowly. Valae had to spend most of them out scavenging out within in the desert. Dovan certainly wished he had been able to spend more time with her before he left, but he also knew how much time he had already taken from such a sweet girl. It also meant that his repairs moved rather quickly, though he still wasn't too keen that his navicomputer seemed to short every few hours. But he thought it was a simple repair to make when en route, so he was about to ready to leave. He looked out towards the entrance to the scrapyard, wondering if the girl would be out much longer. The thought had even crossed his head for him to take off while she was gone. Maybe spare her from any type of goodbye, but he realized how terrible an idea that was almost instantly.

So, he threw what little belongings he had gained into the cockpit of his ship. He had also taken a small high-energy plasma cell from the yard. Nothing too big, but he thought if he didn't have anything to remind him of Valae and his time here, he might as well have grabbed something himself. Now, he wanted to wait for the kid. Make sure to do his send off right. They had only talked a little since he had asked her why she was staying on the planet. It didn't seem like she had been ignoring him, but the thought had certainly crossed his mind. He hoped that she saw that he only wanted what was best for her. And staying here wasn't that.

So, he sat up on the top of his ship, feeling the warmth from the twin suns as he waited from Valae to return so he could say goodbye.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae was out in the desert, she had just finished picking through the sand, finding parts from an old crash site. She had left early in the morning, long before the suns had risen, mostly because she wanted to slip out before seeing Dovan. It wasn’t that she was trying to avoid him out of spite, but more about hiding the fact that she had been crying all night. The simple thought of him leaving made the tears come, and any attempts at stopping them had been unsuccessful. The young woman had found temporary solace in completing the task at hand, but now that she had finished, she was facing her emotions once more. Tatooine’s twin suns were high in the sky by now, and she reluctantly got aboard her speeder, she figured that she had killed enough time. After all, she couldn’t keep him from leaving, no matter how long she stayed away.

Valae focused on the horizon as she traveled towards the scrap yard, and felt a surge of panic rise within. Dovan surely wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye, right? She cursed under her breath, regretting that she had wasted so much time alone in the desert, when she could have been with him. As she neared her home, she heaved a sigh of relief; the distinct shape of Dovan’s ship was still parked in the distance. Valae came through the gates and into the scrap yard; her eyes were already beginning to water. She got down from the speeder, and dusted herself off as she approached the ship. A quick appraisal of the ship told her that he was all ready to leave.

“It’s time, right?” She asked, looking up toward where Dovan was perched. Her eyes were looking just past him, focusing instead on the blue of the sky behind his head. It was all she could do to keep her bottom lip from quivering.

“D-don’t worry about me.” Valae said, turning away, speaking out into the open air. “I’ll be okay.” She wiped furiously at the tears that began to overflow. How she had wanted to send him off happily, glad that he had made a full recovery, and hopeful that he would be well in the future. It was much easier said than done.

“You’ll keep in touch, won’t you?” She asked, her voice was shaking through the sobs. Valae wanted desperately to hear him say that he would, even if it would end up being an empty promise.

[member="Dovan Grey"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

Dovan was never an emotional man. His face seemed to be carved from stone, the few expressions that creeped through were inquisitive or sometimes charm. He could still feel the weight in his chest as he looked at Valae. Her lips were trembling and he could see a glisten start in her eyes. He was also a man of few words. What could a man like that say to her? She was kind and thoughtful in a world that ripped that out of nearly everyone. He felt proud of her though he had known her for so little a time, but he also felt beneath her. That someone like him could do little to help appease the hurt she was feeling, because she shouldn't have felt something that strong for someone like him. Her heart was a better thing than nearly anything he had.

"You're a strong kid." He said, his vivd stare looking right at her. "You've got more in you than the suns of this planet could melt." He felt that the words he said were forced. He was not an eloquent man. So, he placed his rough hand on the side of her face and wiped away a tear that had started to move down her cheek.

"I left every bit of contact for me here. It may be tough, but if you ever need me - you know that I'll be there." He was certainly never someone to enjoy being touched or physical contact, but he wrapped his arms around her and embraced her. He closed his eyes, trying to distill that moment into his memory. He knew the chances that he ever would hear from her again, much less see her were incredibly unlikely so he would do his best to remember her. Part of him hoped that she would always remember him, though he thought it may be best for her not to. But he knew that it was time for him to leave.

"I'll see you again, kid." He thought he was lying, but he had to let her believe it as he turned and boarded his ship and set off of the desert world.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

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[Dovan Grey]

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