Cal headed straight for the cockpit, Willow close on his heels.
"Hey, Greez," he began, and the pilot turned to him. "You're famous down there."

"Yeah, they're... an ugly group, huh?" He laughed nervously. "Smell like used droid oil. Atleast you're okay?"

Cal shifted his attention to Cere as she spoke.
"Yeah. A complication we could have avoided," she gave Greez a side-eyed glance. "Luckily, we found you."

"We have another complication. The Empire knows about the Holocron."

"That's not good," Cere noted. "The entire mission is now at risk."

"And I had a nice chat with the Second Sister. Trilla."
The young man almost mentioned it in passing, but his tone made clear how serious the confrontation had been for him.

Cere's eyes widened, and she was silent for a moment. Then she found her voice again.
"What did she tell you?"

"She told me..." he started, and Greez also turned to listen. "She told me you betrayed her to the Empire. Is it true?"

"She would do anything to jeopardize the mission!"

"Is it true?!" Cal repeated his question, seeking a direct answer rather than an explanation.

"She was my apprentice... Before the Purge."

"You should've told me!"

Before the situation could escalate into a loud argument, Greez intervened cautiously: "We're getting an encrypted message – from Kashyyyk."

Cal shot one more glance at Cere before heading to the holotable. Willow had retreated to the kitchen before the argument broke out but had overheard everything. She was refilling her cup when a hologram of a rebel from Kashyyyk appeared over the table.

Willow watched as Cal leaned over the table.
"Mari?"

"Cal, we found Tarfful, and he is willing to meet you. But that's not all. The Empire overran our position at the refinery. Saw retreated off-world. Some of us have joined the Wookie fighters in the forest. Be careful."
Saw retreated? Willow wasn't too surprised.

"You, too," the young man replied before ending the conversation. He turned away from the table to face Cere.
"Later," the older woman said.

"Later," he nodded. "We have our lead. Back to Kashyyyk."

Cere also entered the kitchen, and the pilot trudged back to the cockpit.
"Okay, this is fine. Everything is gonna be fine," he murmured.

The mood on the ship was tense. Willow decided to withdraw to her guest room. She placed her belongings on the desk, threw her robe over it, and didn't even take the time to remove her shoes. Instead, she collapsed onto the bed, drifting into a restless sleep.

Less than an hour later, she woke up drenched in sweat from her nightmares. The experiences in the Haxion Brood were already haunting her sleep. Exhausted, she wiped her sweaty face with her hand and got up to go to the bathroom. After a refreshing shower, she still didn't feel ready to return to bed. So, she went to the common area.

There on the couch, she found Cere, holding a cup of steaming liquid.
"Bad dreams?"

The girl nodded. The woman gestured towards the kitchen.
"I made tea. Help yourself and keep me company if you'd like."

Willow did as suggested, grabbing a clean cup and pouring the scalding liquid. She took a seat next to Cere, maintaining a respectable distance.
"What kind of tea is this?"

"It's calming tea. It's supposed to help with sleep. I drink it regularly. Sometimes it actually helps, but usually, it's not enough."

The student made a sound of understanding.
"Yeah, I know that feeling."
The warm cup felt good in her cold hands. It reminded her of her sleepless nights at Hogwarts. She used to sneak into the common room and watch the fire until dawn. Since her sixth year began, she occasionally added a drop of the Draught of Living Death to her cup. She was aware of the risk, but sleep was more important to her.

Remembering this, she sniffed briefly. Then she said to Cere, "Where I come from, there's a potion for such situations. It's called the Draught of Living Death. The name is quite accurate. With this potion, you fall into a deathlike sleep, nothing can wake you. Until the potion's effect wears off."

Cere frowned: "That sounds pretty dangerous."

Willow nodded in agreement.
"You have to be very careful with the dosage. Anyone who drinks it risks never waking up again. But when you haven't slept for weeks and are still expected to perform at your best, then... you don't care about the risk."

"I understand. You have your own burdens to bear, it seems."

The teenager raised her eyebrows.
"You have no idea," she whispered, her gaze fixed on the tea in her hands.

"Well, Willow. If you ever need someone to talk to, we're all here for you. Even Greez, I'm sure of that. And especially Cal. You two seem to get along very well," the woman remarked, her voice taking on a more cheerful tone with each word.

The girl blushed, causing Cere to laugh.
"Dear, did you really think we wouldn't notice? Your chemistry is undeniable!"

"We're just friends," Willow said. "There's no chemistry. It's all purely platonic."

"I would hope so." Cere's tone became more serious, which made Willow look up. "You know, the Jedi adhere to certain rules. One of them is to avoid emotional attachments. And Cal... he's devoted to the Order's rules. Even though the Order was destroyed a few years ago. I thought... you should know that. Don't get your heart broken unnecessarily, even if you don't want to admit it yet."

Willow shook her head.
"There's nothing to worry about," she said more to herself than to Cere. She finished her tea and went back to bed.
Despite the tea, she had a hard time falling asleep, but this time it wasn't because of nightmares. It was her conversation with Cere that haunted her mind and kept her awake.

After a few more hours of dozing and tossing and turning, she decided to greet the new day. She freshened up in the bathroom once more. Her skin had taken on a slightly healthier color, and the scratches on her face would be healed in no more than two days. She wasn't so sure about the bruises on her neck, similar to those on her stomach.

Maybe today would even allow time for another training session. What she had learned so far hadn't been needed in the Haxion Brood arena, but she wanted to avoid any more injuries.
But for another training session, Cere and Cal first had to talk things out. Willow hoped they would reconcile soon. Their conversation during the night made her feel newfound sympathy for the woman, even if she didn't fully agree with her decisions.

Shaking off the thought, she went to the center of the Mantis. This time, Willow was the last to join the others. She took her seat in the cockpit, and the Mantis was already heading towards the planet. Greez landed the ship, and without saying a word to each other, each crew member stepped out one by one.

Willow raised her eyebrows. She knew the situation was a bit tense at the moment, but she couldn't understand why they hadn't exchanged a single word. Silently, she followed as the last one outside.

Cal headed straight for another rebel with a Wookie by her side. Willow hurried after him. Halfway there, he stopped and knelt beside a helmet on the ground, extending his hand and closing his eyes.
"Another Echo?" Willow asked as Cal stood up again.

For the first time that day, he looked directly at her. Her heart tightened slightly as their eyes met. He didn't look like he had gotten enough sleep. Cal's skin was a bit pale, and the green in his eyes seemed dull.
He ran a hand through his red hair before responding.
"This helmet... Trilla was here. She's looking for me and making innocent people pay with their lives."

Willow watched as he clenched his hands into fists, his gaze filled with hatred fixed on the helmet. She was unsure how to comfort him. If he were a close friend of hers, like Natty or Poppy, she wouldn't hesitate to offer a hug. But this was somehow different. They hadn't known each other long, reason number one why a hug in this situation would be challenging for Willow. Additionally, she didn't really know how Cal would feel about it. What if he didn't like it? What if he pushed her away? That would haunt her forever.

But doing nothing wasn't the right way either. Maybe she should hold his hand, like in the arena? But that gesture was quite intimate and would come out of nowhere. Simply nudging him would be too impersonal. Frustrated with herself, she shook her head. Don't overthink it, Willow.

So, she decided on a more neutral gesture and placed a hand on his shoulder. Cal lifted his gaze almost simultaneously and looked at her. The hatred in his eyes nearly vanished, but something in his look made her swallow briefly. She cleared her throat.
"Cal, listen. This whole situation is really awful, and I can't even begin to imagine how you must feel about it. But you have to understand that the lives Trilla has on her conscience aren't Cere's fault. And even less is the blood of this rebel on your hands. You have every right to be angry and disappointed. And yes, Cere should have been honest with you from the start, no question. Your feelings are valid, and it's important to me that you know you're not alone. So please, don't ignore me. I'm on your side, no matter what."

Waiting for his reaction, she held her breath. During her little speech, he didn't break eye contact once, and she saw the familiar sparkle return to his emerald-green eyes. He promptly wrapped his arms around her, holding her close for a brief moment.

"Thank you, Lills," he whispered in her ear, and like a switch being flipped, a fine shiver ran down her neck and spread across her back.

He pulled away, and everything inside her wanted to protest. But she also took a small step back, giving him a shy smile.
"You're welcome. This time I'm coming with you, you have no choice."

Willow grinned at him cheekily, and he gave her a smile that shone brighter than a thousand stars.
"Who says I would refuse that," he countered, turning to continue on his way. The girl blushed and shook her head before following him.

"Mari marked the meeting point with Tarfful for you. Be careful," said the rebel once they reached her.

The teenager thanked her, and they set off together. On the other side of the refinery, a voice came through their communicators, one Willow couldn't initially place.

"Cal, do you read me? Cere gave me your comm frequency."

"Mari! Are you okay?"

"I'm safe... Unlike too many of the others. Did Mirianna give you our rendezvous coordinates?" Mirianna must be the name of the rebel they had met earlier.

"She did. We're on our way."

"Good, we're just reaching them now, but we can't stay long. The Empire is looking for us."

"We'll be there as soon as we can."

And with that, the conversation ended for the time being. The journey was long, and Willow decided to initiate a conversation.
"Hey, um... Just so you know. I think Cere carries a lot of regret. I talked with her during the night since we both had trouble sleeping."

"Do you often have trouble sleeping?" he gave her a side-eyed glance. She wasn't surprised that he was avoiding her initial statement. She would probably have done the same.

"Well, who doesn't..." she murmured.

"But you're knowledgeable in magic. Isn't there something that helps with that? Herbs, a spell, or maybe a ritual?"

Willow shook her head and explained the Draught of Living Death to her red-haired friend.

"Ah, of course there's always a catch. That would have been too nice."

She chuckled briefly. "Yes, right. How about you? Do you have trouble sleeping?"

He was silent for a moment, as if weighing whether to tell her the truth.
"Yeah. I regularly have nightmares, but most of the time I don't wake up from them on my own. Like last night, Greez woke me up. He says I talk in my sleep," Cal laughed, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. Embarrassed, he ran a hand over his neck.

Willow had to smile. "Everyone has their quirks, I suppose. But that's a good thing, or else people would be pretty uninteresting."

Cal looked at her mischievously. "Oh yeah? What's your quirk, Willow?" He leaned in towards her playfully.

She lightly punched his shoulder, giggling. "You mean besides my glowing hands? You'll never find out, Kestis."

He raised his eyebrows appreciatively. "Right, your magic. I forgot. Is it a specific kind of magic that makes your hands glow? Or can every wizard do that? Because your hands don't glow very often."

Willow nodded. "Yes, it's the type of magic. I have yet to figure out why, but I can wield a very ancient form of magic. Something only a few before me could do. It's like your psychometry, a rare gift. Over the years, the connection to the magic grew stronger, and only then did my hands start to glow. It's a bit strange, but I love it."

Cal nodded. They talked about various topics, and time flew by. Sooner than expected, they arrived in the Shadowlands. From here, according to BD-1's map, it wasn't far to their designated meeting point. Hopefully, the Empire hadn't found the Wookie chieftain yet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2.299 Words