With Cal, Willow could not have found a better motivator. With each failed attempt, he managed to fuel her ambition and get the best out of her. The repetitions were going quite well, but a proper Patronus had yet to form from the mist.

Exhausted, she sank back onto one of the crates next to Cal. Meanwhile, the sun had completely set, and more stars were visible in the now almost black sky of Kashyyyk than Willow had ever seen from Earth. Although astronomy had never been a major interest of hers, she loved the sight of the night sky, especially the moon. And Kashyyyk had three of them!

Looking up at the sky, she had to laugh once. She quickly began to explain, not wanting him to think she was crazy.
"It's incredible, Cal. Where I come from and go to school, at Hogwarts, I always found the starry sky beautiful. I often wondered what else might be out there and what it looks like. And the biggest debate among us Earthlings: whether aliens exist."

The boy next to her grinned at her.
"I hope you've found an answer to that by now," he said, getting a bit more serious.
"Your thoughts make sense tho. But I can't quite imagine it. I mean, all of us here grow up knowing the galaxy is so much more than just one planet. And theoretically, you can travel from planet to planet at any time, which is pretty amazing, to be honest."

Willow nodded in agreement and their gazes met for a moment.
"So, if I understand correctly, people on Earth don't know how big the universe actually is, right?" Cal asked.

"Well, at Hogwarts they do teach astronomy. A lot about the stars and their constellations, and other planets in our solar system. But... no mention of possible life on other planets. Don't get me wrong, humans are curious. There are numerous scientists studying space. They're even talking about space travel as soon as possible. But we're just not technologically advanced enough to achieve that goal yet," Willow explained.

A brief silence spread before Willow started again: "For those of us who can't afford to dream, there's a saying: 'The sky's the limit,' but when I go back to Earth someday, I'll show them just how wrong they were. I can hardly wait to see their faces."
The girl grinned broadly at him.

"You'll blow 'em away, I'm sure of it," he agreed, laughing.

At that moment, a cool shiver ran through Willow. The air was clear and fresh, causing the fine hairs on her arms to stand up, which she immediately rubbed with her hands.
"Are you cold?" Cal asked next to her.

"It's fine, sorry. I didn't really expect it to get so cool at night here," she laughed awkwardly.

Without hesitation, Cal took off his poncho and handed it to her.
"Wait, what?"

"Take it. It'll warm you up in no time. Unless you'd rather go inside?" he asked, looking at her questioningly.

She didn't reply. Instead, she took his poncho and playfully rolled her eyes at his confident look. Then she pulled the soft piece of cloth over her head and was almost immediately enveloped in warmth. Cal put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her, almost imperceptibly, a little closer to him. Willow blushed slightly.
"Thank you, Redhead."

"Anytime, Lills."

Content, Willow leaned her head on his shoulder. They talked about a few other topics, enjoying the calm around them. The only subject they didn't discuss was the teeny tiny disagreement between Cere and Cal.
Time passed, and Willow's eyelids grew heavier. In Cal's arms, she could have fallen asleep right away, enveloped by the peace of the night, listening to the calm of his voice.

She felt a slight shake on her shoulder.
"Lills?"

"Hm?"

"Come on, let's go to bed. You're almost asleep," Cal spoke softly to her.

Her eyes still closed, she furrowed her brows.
"No, I'm not," she mumbled.

She felt Cal's chest vibrate and heard him laugh. Instantly, the corners of her mouth lifted too.
"Yeah, right. I didn't even get a response from you earlier."

The girl was confused.
"What did you ask?"

Only a few seconds later did she realize that by asking her question, she had indirectly admitted he was right. A simple "Oh" was all that left her lips afterward.

Tired, she ran her hand over her eyes while Cal laughed quietly next to her.
"Okay, come on. Let's get you to bed."

He stood up and held out a hand to her. Instead of taking it, Willow handed him the book she had been using to practice.
"Very considerate. Thanks a lot, Kestis."

He looked at her as if he couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Willow couldn't hold back a quiet giggle.
Shaking his head in disbelief, the boy said, "I don't think I like you when you're tired."

The student let out a hearty laugh, and Cal joined in. She grabbed her wand, and together they made their way to their rooms.
They stopped for a moment in front of their doors. Willow pulled the poncho over her head and handed it back to Cal.
"Thanks again for this. Good night, Cal."

"Don't thank me. It suits you", he winked at her. „Good night, Lills."

She smiled at him one more time before disappearing behind the humming door.
Willow slid into the room and almost tripped over one of the many phials scattered all over the floor. Annoyed with herself, she remembered that she had emptied almost everything out of her bag while looking for the books. In her haste, she had just left it on the floor. She briefly debated whether it was worth tidying up now. But her conscience won.

So, she gathered all the phials and books and placed them on the desk for now. She would throw them back into her bag tomorrow. With the floor now clear, she made her way to the bathroom. There, she got ready for bed and inspected her wounds. In a few hours, she would change the bandages. The scratches on her face from the attack of the Empire a few days prior were hardly visible anymore, but the bruises on her stomach were still quite prominent.

Indifferently, she shrugged her shoulders. Today, she definitely wouldn't think about it any further. The bed was calling her name loudly. Without wasting any more time, she stepped out of the bathroom. But Willow nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Cal standing in her room.

"Cal! Don't scare me like that," she whispered.

The young Jedi was standing by her desk. One of her books in one hand and a phial in the other. He let his gaze wander over her figure. Only now did Willow realise that she was already wearing her pyjama shorts with a top. Her cheeks colored themselves rosey as their eyes met. Then, he looked at her apologetically.
"Sorry. I just wanted to return the book to you."

"Oh, thanks. I totally forgot about that," she said, walking over to him and taking the book, which she placed on top of the pile of other books.

He seemed hesitant as he raised the hand holding the phial.
"I didn't know you also carried perfume in these bottles", he said. She watched his very own cheeks turned slightly red beneath his freckles. Willow couldn't help but notice how sweet the sight was.

"Yeah, some people do," she was interrupted by a yawn.

Cal raised his hands with a cocky smile.
"Okay, okay. I'm leaving. Sleep well."

"Thanks, you too," and with that, she was alone in her room again.
Willow needed a moment to process what had just happened. A smile forced it's way onto her lips as she mentally relived the moment. But the tiredness got the better of her.
Exhausted, she threw herself onto the soft bed and fell asleep within few minutes.

—

Once again, Willow woke up panicked from her dreams. The images of the catacombs of Feldcroft were still crystal clear in her mind. In the middle of the catacombs, surrounded by dozens of Inferi, stood Sebastian. To make matters worse, the image was not a figment of her imagination but brutal reality. That day in the catacombs... that was when Sebastian made the worst decision of his life.

An unpleasant shiver ran through Willow's sweat-soaked body.
As with the other times she had bad dreams here, she immediately got into the shower. She let the water run cold, wanting to wash away the horror as thoroughly as possible.

After the shower, she lay back in bed. With her eyes wide open, she lay there, pondering. She tried with all her might to keep the events of her dream at bay; the scenario had already cost her many valuable hours of sleep before. To get rid of the overwhelming thoughts, she grabbed a roll of parchment and her quill and wrote another diary entry about the latest events. Since her last entry in the Haxion Brood, a lot had happened, such as Cal's fight against an Inquisitor. It felt good to write down the experiences and thus make more space in her head.

With her thoughts now elsewhere, something occurred to her. The phial that Cal had held earlier couldn't have been perfume since she did not bring any. Confused, she furrowed her brow. Which phial had he held again?

Willow got up and grabbed her wand, using the light spell to walk over to the desk. Once there, she illuminated the various phials. All these potions were usable in battle... except one. The liquid was light with a hint of pink. Willow was baffled. Then she grabbed the phial. She couldn't say what kind of potion it was exactly, but she was sure she hadn't packed it herself. This phial must belong to someone else.

Curiously, she smelled the potion. The scent that greeted her was familiar. But she couldn't quite place where from. It smelled like a mixture of tonka bean, warm sandalwood, and delicate musk.

Willow's eyes widened as she suddenly realized at what potion she was smelling. She quickly closed the phial and grabbed the book of potions, her cheeks burning. Hastily, she opened the page she feared would confirm her suspicion. She skimmed the following text, her eyes widening with each word:

Amortentia

[...]
It is classified as a very powerful and dangerous potion.
For each individual, this potion has a unique scent. It reminds them of what they find most attractive, even if the individual is unaware of it or does not admit it.
[...]
The potion has an immediate effect on a person. The person who has drunk the potion appears pale and sickly and seems very obsessed with something.

Willow slammed the book shut in outrage. This can't be.
She shook her head again. Her thoughts raced so fast she found it hard to grasp any of them. Holding the phial, she went to bed. Her head ached as she tried to process the information.

Cal had perceived the scent as perfume. That was quite vague, not a very specific statement. Willow assumed he must have smelled something random. After all, according to the text in the book, it made sense. The scent he smelled could be floral, fresh, or something entirely different. She would never find out, but that did not really matter.

What she smelled, however, confused her even more. She knew the scent but could not quite place it. A bit nervously, she opened the phial and held it to her nose again. Her eyebrows furrowed in thought. Strangely, the scent almost immediately calmed her, and her fatigue became noticeable. Surrounded by the familiar yet unknown scent, she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

—

The next morning, Willow felt good. No, she felt full of energy. It was the first night in a long time that she had (almost) slept through. Even though it was only a few hours, she felt more refreshed than in the past few days.

In high spirits, she swung her legs out of bed and went to the bathroom. Contrary to her expectations, her muscles barely ached from all the climbing the day before. Another reason why today could only turn out to be good.

Fully dressed, she returned to her room and tidied up. Willow cleared the desk, took down the now dried plants from the ceiling, and packed them along with the books and phials into her bag. She made the bed and, finally, placed the small special phial back on the desk. Here, there was no risk of grabbing the wrong potion in the heat of the moment.

With light steps, she headed to the kitchen, where only two plates were set instead of four. Greez and Cere must've had already eaten, as Willow saw them talking in the cockpit. The girl sat at the table and served herself a portion of breakfast when she heard shuffling steps approaching her.
Opposite her, Cal slumped into a chair and rubbed his eyes, his droid busily scanning the day's meal.

"Good morning!"
Willow's tone was cheerful, and she grinned at her companion.

He took his hands from his eyes and looked her over, not quite awake himself.
"You seem to be in a good mood today."

"That's right. Don't ask me why, but today I feel invincible. You, on the other hand, look terrible."

"Thanks very much," he replied, and Willow noticed a slight grin playing on his lips.
"I didn't sleep well last night."

Willow didn't respond at first; instead, she piled a portion of food onto his plate.
"I'm sorry to hear. But you'll need to eat something, so enjoy your meal."

"Yeah, yeah. You too."

Without another word, they dug into breakfast. Since Willow had missed both lunch and dinner the previous day, she devoured two portions before feeling full. Cal also ate more than usual, and after they were finished, they took care of the dishes. Willow could have used a household cleaning spell for this, but she didn't think it was necessary.

Shortly afterward, Cal selected their next destination. The planet was reddish, and Willow was unsure what to make of it.
Then Greez chimed in: "We're Dathomir-Bound."

The two youths headed to the cockpit and took their seats as the ex-Jedi spoke up.
"I'm surprised Cordova went there. He must have had good reason."

"I am staying put on the Mantis once we arrive. Red sunlight cannot be good for your skin."
Willow had never seen red sunlight before, but she could understand why the pilot wasn't keen on it.

"This place used to be a home to a powerful cabal of Force wielders known as the Nightsisters," Cere explained.

"They used the Force? What, like Jedi?" asked Greez, and Willow was surprised that he, for the second time, voiced the same question that had been running through her mind.

"No. These witches served only themselves. Their powers focused on deception, illusion, manipulation."

"Hah! Sounds like someone I used to know," the captain remarked.

"During the Clone Wars the Nightsisters made a deal with a Sith Lord who betrayed their trust. In the end, they were nearly wiped out in a massacre. Dathomir is a deadly place. We should be careful."

"Don't have to tell me twice."

Willow's high spirits threatened to waver after this information. She decided not to judge prematurely and to wait until they landed. She would form her own impression of Dathomir.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2.607 Words,

and today we had a (hopefully) sweet moment between Cal and Willow. how did u find it?

next chapter we're on Dathomir! y'all ready? i, certainly, am not lol D:
till next time,

~Alice