Well, suppose I don't have to ask that. I know you are. I think I saw you in the kitchen before our most recent mission, but had been too focused on food to stop and say hello.
[This is, for Rey, one of the most difficult interactions she has ever faced.
It's been days now, weeks, and she would say she's settled into things as well as could be expected. She's been spending most of her days wandering, training to keep herself from getting bored, tinkering in the workshops. For the most part she's been sleeping in the sunlight room or the simulation room in a hammock strung from trees. That, to Rey, is normal.
Strangers reaching out to her to be so awkwardly polite is not normal. How do you even reply to this?
It starts several ways. At first she types out what do you want and why are you talking to me and deletes them both when she thinks about the fact that Finn would want her to try harder.
Leia would. This person, this Clara, deserves a little more than immediate distrust for something that is, even Rey has to admit, just something nice.
I'm basically going to gather what ingredients we have on hand after the supply drop, take some vegetables from my garden, and put together something to feed a few dozen people.
There'll be cake involved, for lending a helping hand.
Careful. That's bound to lead to dangerous places with a pretty face like yours.
[Nothing wrong with some innocent, casual flirting with someone you've seen around but technically just met. It's put her in a good mood, actually.]
Think I'll start with charming you into picking what's ripe and ready. Then I'll show you how things grow. No need to have ever seen a garden before at all.
[Well that's bold, and maybe if it weren't so entirely silly it would put her off actually going ahead with meeting this strange woman who has seen her face while Rey has no idea who she'd even be looking for, but...
As it stands, she's just glad she's on her own so no one will ever know that it got a laugh out of her.]
[She's used to being looked down at. It's okay. She hasn't been in much of a smiling mood lately, but the fact that Rey says her name properly puts a bright grin on her face.]
See? Told you I'd be easy to find.
[With a soft laugh, she leads the way back into the depths of the sunlight room.]
Did you say you sleep here? As in, yes you're camping out here instead of sleeping in an actual bed?
[She's not judging. But she is surprised by that. She didn't think there was much privacy to be found in the sunlight room. Not really.]
[Rey even holds the door open for her, how gallant.
As they walk she points over towards a small copse of trees, the rope of a hammock just barely visible on one if you squint very hard and focus your attention.]
The beds here are too soft. It's not just me, though.
[She does have something of a roommate, if you can call two people who don't like people but do like each other sleeping in the same room but very, very apart. Mal at least goes back to his own room sometimes.]
[Clara's eyebrows arch as she glances back up at Rey, curious.]
Does that mean you've got someone camping out here with you? Don't need to worry about how soft or hard a bed is, with the right company.
[Those arched eyebrows waggle, and she can't resist a little laugh.
The hydroponic garden that's been set up for her is in one of the far corners of the sunlight room. Not too long of a walk, but long enough to get in some good teasing.]
[For this moment, that flies right over her head.]
It's a big space so we only see each other if we feel like it, so it's not so much camping together as it is camping in the same general area. I think he sleeps on the ground anyway.
[It's not an eyebrow wiggle in the way Clara's was, but Rey does give the other woman a quick smirk all the same.]
You could say we've been roommates this whole time too and I had no idea you'd moved right in with a whole garden.
[As though Clara wasn't the one who was there first.]
Hey now. [It sounds like she's giving a warning, but the laugh makes her sound more like she's trying to explain herself instead.]
My garden's been here far longer than half the people on the crew.
[And that being said, they're close enough now, she points on ahead.]
It's not the usual sort of garden, though. Given everything here is artificial, just a simulation? We have to grow things using water. But I thought that it was a good idea to come up with something, just in case the supply drops ever stopped or there was a time we didn't have enough food.
[About how it was possible to grow something that could actually be used outside of this room as though it were something real, but the way Rey says it is so soft and her eyes are filled with wonder as she looks over the little patch of growing things.
She knew from the start that seeing a real garden up close would be something that would have an effect on her, but she isn't quite prepared for what it feels like to see real, natural, living produce growing here. She should have felt it in the Force, she realizes, but she had never expected to find it and so she had never looked for it in her meditations in this room. It's just... there. Food, growing and beautiful and something so simple that it shouldn't make her want to cry, and yet here she is with her throat closing up on her.]
[Like the Doctor does with her when he takes her to new places, Clara watches Rey as she experiences a garden for the first time. She takes in Rey's wonder and curiosity, and she finds it helps her see things in a refreshed and new light.
It's with a smile on her face that she hurries over to take hold of Rey's hand, urging her along with a laugh and a gentle tug.
If this is her first experience in a garden, Clara's going to make it as good as she can.]
We planted seeds from a fruit I've never seen before about four months ago. They should be just about ripe by now.
[She guides Rey over toward something that looks close to grapes from Earth. Only they're bright blue and pink, and far larger in size.]
Go ahead. Pick one and give it a try.
[Rey will discover, if she tries one, that they're as sweet as candy.]
[It would be a lie to say the sudden contact doesn't startle her, but Clara has done a lot so far to ease Rey into this sudden show of physical affection, small though it might be to anyone who doesn't know her well. Just a year ago she had yelled at Finn repeatedly for this exact thing, but now she holds her tongue.
It's not a threat, not overbearing. It's fine. She can deal with hand holding if she just focuses on the destination and the fact that she's just been instructed to try fruit.
Fresh fruit. Fruit so fresh it hasn't even been picked yet and she pauses, looks at Clara like she isn't sure at all that she's making the right choice here.]
Don't you think you should be the first one to have it? You're the one who put the work in.
[She insists, giving an eager nod of her head. Pulling away after that, she goes over to grab a plastic container that they can put some of the crops into once they're picked.]
Every time we go on a mission, I try to bring back some seeds with me. If there's ever anything you'd like to grow, we can make room for it.
[Not many others take an interest in this little project of hers. But she thinks Rey will appreciate it completely.]
[There's a bit of a hesitation as Rey looks at this little patch of dirt and leafy greens, honestly, but in the end she makes herself take a careful step in just far enough to be able to reach without having to lean awkwardly over the plants to reach them. There is still a sense of almost reverence as she runs her fingertips over the leaves of the grape-like plant and she is so, so careful when she finally picks one single fruit.
When she puts it into her mouth and bites down, the immediate expression on her face is one of wonder. She's a fan of fruit, knows that she likes sweets, but every time is just as wonderful as the first time in Maz Kanata's cantina. This thing is so sweet it's almost too much, pops oddly between her teeth to release a juice that makes her smile faintly to herself as she goes on chewing.
And plucks one more. Just, you know. For the sake of the scientific method you have to have more than just one taste, right?]
But a friend grabbed the seeds for me during our first mission. They've been growing steadily since.
[A smile is given in Rey's direction, as she notices that the fruit is being enjoyed. She wonders what sort of place she must come from, to never have seen a garden and to have such amazement at fruit.]
You can take a basket and fill it with as many as you'd like.
Clearly you should be the one to name them, then. You made them grow.
[It seems very obvious to her, but then again Rey has always been equal parts possessive and greedy when it comes to food. If it were her she'd absolutely name them something like Don't Touch These Or I Will Chop Your Hands Off.
At that offer, though, her hands draw back from the plant.]
I'd take all of them and then where would you be?
[She had picked that last one and she does eat it as she rises again, looking out over the patch of dirt that seems so small for something so important.]
Is it all food or would you plant other things too?
Oh, I'm sure we could figure out a way to grow just about anything. It's just that not every plant grows under these conditions.
[She heads over to the grapelike plant and plucks a small piece for herself. After taking a moment to appreciate the taste, she gives Rey a teasing grin.]
Maybe I'll name them after you. [She decides, eyebrows arching.] Reyberries. You're the first person other than myself that's gotten to try them. [She grabs and plucks another, larger one. And holds it out for Rey to take. She doesn't realize it may seem like she's trying to feed it to her by hand.]
It seems only fitting they'd be named after you.
[Clara's ego can run rampant, but she's not bad enough to name something after herself.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
text; un: stargirl
Well, suppose I don't have to ask that. I know you are. I think I saw you in the kitchen before our most recent mission, but had been too focused on food to stop and say hello.
So this is me now, saying hello.
I'm Clara, by the way.
[#nailedit]
text; un: rey
It's been days now, weeks, and she would say she's settled into things as well as could be expected. She's been spending most of her days wandering, training to keep herself from getting bored, tinkering in the workshops. For the most part she's been sleeping in the sunlight room or the simulation room in a hammock strung from trees. That, to Rey, is normal.
Strangers reaching out to her to be so awkwardly polite is not normal. How do you even reply to this?
It starts several ways. At first she types out what do you want and why are you talking to me and deletes them both when she thinks about the fact that Finn would want her to try harder.
Leia would. This person, this Clara, deserves a little more than immediate distrust for something that is, even Rey has to admit, just something nice.
Her end result is not great.]
Hello. I'm Rey.
[#nailingittogether]
no subject
this is a pretty big wake up call that she needs to get past her own current emotional state to step back into her usual role.
but for now, they're going to awkwardly get through this conversation together]
Thing is, I was thinking of trying a new recipe tonight. And I was hoping that maybe you'd be there to help me test it out.
[If all else fails, forging bonds over food is a surefire plan.]
no subject
What are you making?
no subject
I'm basically going to gather what ingredients we have on hand after the supply drop, take some vegetables from my garden, and put together something to feed a few dozen people.
There'll be cake involved, for lending a helping hand.
no subject
But it's working. Do you need help with the garden part?
no subject
And I don't have any idea what you mean. I'd never bribe someone with triple chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Ever.
no subject
Does it matter that I've never actually seen a garden?
no subject
[Nothing wrong with some innocent, casual flirting with someone you've seen around but technically just met. It's put her in a good mood, actually.]
Think I'll start with charming you into picking what's ripe and ready. Then I'll show you how things grow. No need to have ever seen a garden before at all.
no subject
As it stands, she's just glad she's on her own so no one will ever know that it got a laugh out of her.]
Where can I find you?
no subject
[Now that she's had a good laugh and is wearing a smile of her own, she's quick to get ready to make her way there.]
no subject
[Seconds after that sends she leaves her little makeshift hidden home and heads for the door just in time to open it up and find...
Oh. She has to look down. That's new.]
Clara?
[Look at that, with the accent she even says your name right.]
no subject
See? Told you I'd be easy to find.
[With a soft laugh, she leads the way back into the depths of the sunlight room.]
Did you say you sleep here? As in, yes you're camping out here instead of sleeping in an actual bed?
[She's not judging. But she is surprised by that. She didn't think there was much privacy to be found in the sunlight room. Not really.]
no subject
As they walk she points over towards a small copse of trees, the rope of a hammock just barely visible on one if you squint very hard and focus your attention.]
The beds here are too soft. It's not just me, though.
[She does have something of a roommate, if you can call two people who don't like people but do like each other sleeping in the same room but very, very apart. Mal at least goes back to his own room sometimes.]
no subject
[Clara's eyebrows arch as she glances back up at Rey, curious.]
Does that mean you've got someone camping out here with you? Don't need to worry about how soft or hard a bed is, with the right company.
[Those arched eyebrows waggle, and she can't resist a little laugh.
The hydroponic garden that's been set up for her is in one of the far corners of the sunlight room. Not too long of a walk, but long enough to get in some good teasing.]
no subject
It's a big space so we only see each other if we feel like it, so it's not so much camping together as it is camping in the same general area. I think he sleeps on the ground anyway.
[It's not an eyebrow wiggle in the way Clara's was, but Rey does give the other woman a quick smirk all the same.]
You could say we've been roommates this whole time too and I had no idea you'd moved right in with a whole garden.
[As though Clara wasn't the one who was there first.]
no subject
My garden's been here far longer than half the people on the crew.
[And that being said, they're close enough now, she points on ahead.]
It's not the usual sort of garden, though. Given everything here is artificial, just a simulation? We have to grow things using water. But I thought that it was a good idea to come up with something, just in case the supply drops ever stopped or there was a time we didn't have enough food.
no subject
[About how it was possible to grow something that could actually be used outside of this room as though it were something real, but the way Rey says it is so soft and her eyes are filled with wonder as she looks over the little patch of growing things.
She knew from the start that seeing a real garden up close would be something that would have an effect on her, but she isn't quite prepared for what it feels like to see real, natural, living produce growing here. She should have felt it in the Force, she realizes, but she had never expected to find it and so she had never looked for it in her meditations in this room. It's just... there. Food, growing and beautiful and something so simple that it shouldn't make her want to cry, and yet here she is with her throat closing up on her.]
I've never seen a garden before.
no subject
It's with a smile on her face that she hurries over to take hold of Rey's hand, urging her along with a laugh and a gentle tug.
If this is her first experience in a garden, Clara's going to make it as good as she can.]
We planted seeds from a fruit I've never seen before about four months ago. They should be just about ripe by now.
[She guides Rey over toward something that looks close to grapes from Earth. Only they're bright blue and pink, and far larger in size.]
Go ahead. Pick one and give it a try.
[Rey will discover, if she tries one, that they're as sweet as candy.]
no subject
It's not a threat, not overbearing. It's fine. She can deal with hand holding if she just focuses on the destination and the fact that she's just been instructed to try fruit.
Fresh fruit. Fruit so fresh it hasn't even been picked yet and she pauses, looks at Clara like she isn't sure at all that she's making the right choice here.]
Don't you think you should be the first one to have it? You're the one who put the work in.
no subject
[She insists, giving an eager nod of her head. Pulling away after that, she goes over to grab a plastic container that they can put some of the crops into once they're picked.]
Every time we go on a mission, I try to bring back some seeds with me. If there's ever anything you'd like to grow, we can make room for it.
[Not many others take an interest in this little project of hers. But she thinks Rey will appreciate it completely.]
no subject
When she puts it into her mouth and bites down, the immediate expression on her face is one of wonder. She's a fan of fruit, knows that she likes sweets, but every time is just as wonderful as the first time in Maz Kanata's cantina. This thing is so sweet it's almost too much, pops oddly between her teeth to release a juice that makes her smile faintly to herself as she goes on chewing.
And plucks one more. Just, you know. For the sake of the scientific method you have to have more than just one taste, right?]
What are these called?
no subject
[She admits with a slightly embarrassed laugh.]
But a friend grabbed the seeds for me during our first mission. They've been growing steadily since.
[A smile is given in Rey's direction, as she notices that the fruit is being enjoyed. She wonders what sort of place she must come from, to never have seen a garden and to have such amazement at fruit.]
You can take a basket and fill it with as many as you'd like.
no subject
[It seems very obvious to her, but then again Rey has always been equal parts possessive and greedy when it comes to food. If it were her she'd absolutely name them something like Don't Touch These Or I Will Chop Your Hands Off.
At that offer, though, her hands draw back from the plant.]
I'd take all of them and then where would you be?
[She had picked that last one and she does eat it as she rises again, looking out over the patch of dirt that seems so small for something so important.]
Is it all food or would you plant other things too?
no subject
[She heads over to the grapelike plant and plucks a small piece for herself. After taking a moment to appreciate the taste, she gives Rey a teasing grin.]
Maybe I'll name them after you. [She decides, eyebrows arching.] Reyberries. You're the first person other than myself that's gotten to try them. [She grabs and plucks another, larger one. And holds it out for Rey to take. She doesn't realize it may seem like she's trying to feed it to her by hand.]
It seems only fitting they'd be named after you.
[Clara's ego can run rampant, but she's not bad enough to name something after herself.]
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