When Willow awoke the next morning, she felt more refreshed than ever before. This sleep even surpassed the one she had the previous night when she fell asleep with the smell of the phial. Her nerves were calm, and her mind felt clear, as if Cal's presence had pressed a reset button within her.

With her eyes still closed, she frowned. For a moment, Willow had completely forgotten that she had fallen asleep next to Cal. But now, she didn't sense his presence, so she blinked her eyes open. She turned her head to her right, where Cal had been lying. But he was gone.

Still slightly groggy, Willow propped herself up on her forearms and let her gaze sweep across the small room. There was no sign of Cal. A quiet uncertainty crept into her mind. Why had he already left?

Willow decided not to read too much into Cal's actions. Maybe he had gone to get something or to check on something. Shaking off the uncertainty, she went into the bathroom to freshen up for the day ahead. To her satisfaction, Willow noted that she hadn't sustained any new serious injuries. The older wounds and cuts she still bore from Kashyyyk were healing well.

The young student changed into her dueling attire, folded her pajamas, and placed them on the neatly made bed. Her thoughts drifted back to Cal, despite her efforts to focus on other things. She hadn't expected him to just disappear like that. Reluctantly, wild thoughts whispered that she might have done something wrong. Perhaps she shouldn't have accepted his offer to stay overnight. Or maybe he hadn't slept well next to her? Had she perhaps inadvertently gotten too close to him? Did he feel overwhelmed by the sudden closeness? If that was the case, Willow could understand. She had never been fond of physical contact, but with Cal, it was different somehow. Thoughtfully, Willow chewed on her lower lip. Should she bring it up the next time she saw him? She actually wasn't a fan of confrontations.

Before Willow's uncertainty could overwhelm her, she heard the humming sound of her door opening. Surprised, she turned around and saw the sleepy face of the young Jedi. Willow hadn't expected him to return to her room that morning. She felt relieved that Cal had decided to come back. But something was different. Willow couldn't explain why, but she had the impression that the atmosphere between them was slightly tense.

Cal seemed uncertain as he crossed his arms under his blue poncho. For a brief moment, he made eye contact with Willow before staring down at his shoes.
"Good morning. I just wanted to let you know that our next stop is Ilum. It'll take a while to get there."

Willow raised her eyebrows. She couldn't help but feel a bit taken aback. Cal had made his statement in a rather matter-of-fact way. To Willow, his distant behavior didn't make sense after they had shared such an heartfelt and intimate conversation the night before.

Finally, she nodded.
"Oh, okay," she replied, and a moment of silence followed. It seemed neither of them knew what else to talk about, making the situation a bit uncomfortable. Cal also seemed to be lost in thought. Willow tossed aside her uncertainty and asked him directly, "How did you sleep?"

Apparently, she had touched a sensitive spot. Cal took a few small steps back, but he looked into her eyes.
"Good, good. I..." Cal hesitated and nervously tugged at the hem of his poncho. "I'll go join the others," he said, gesturing with his thumb behind him. But instead of actually leaving, he stood there, rooted to the spot. BD-1, Cal's little droid, made a few noises, causing him to blush slightly. Then he turned on his heel and disappeared from Willow's room.

Stunned, Willow didn't move for the next few seconds. She had to process what had just happened. She wished she knew why Cal was acting so strangely all of a sudden. Unfortunately, she didn't speak Binary, otherwise, she might have tried to get some information from BD-1. The little droid was Cal's best friend; he probably knew what was troubling the young Jedi.

Willow shook her head as if trying to rid herself of any further thoughts about Cal's erratic behavior. Then she picked up her robe from the floor and placed it on the bed next to her pajamas. Afterward, Willow grabbed her wand and tucked it into the small pouch on her thigh. She rubbed her left eyebrow with her fingers. The young witch was going to join the others now, and she wasn't sure what the mood would be like. Willow hoped that at least the conflict between Cere and Cal had been resolved after their "private" conversation the previous evening.

As confidently as she could, Willow stepped into the kitchen. The other crew members were already seated at the table, where breakfast was still steaming in the cookware. It seemed the crew had been waiting for Willow so they could eat together.

"Ah, there you are, girl. Come on, sit down. The food's just ready," Greez greeted her.

Cal had taken a seat at the head of the table today, with Cere on his left and Greez on his right. It was a bit odd, as Willow had sat next to Cal during all the previous meals. But now she was getting the impression that Cal was avoiding her. Her heart sank briefly at the thought. So, Willow took a seat next to the pilot, who eagerly dished out the meal onto four plates. They ate in silence. Willow noticed a slight tension, and to her annoyance, she realized that this tension was starting to affect her as well. Just a few minutes ago, she had thought everything was fine. But now, that feeling was gone. She quietly observed Cal from the corner of her eye. He kept his gaze fixed on his plate and didn't look up once. Willow also noticed that Greez's eyes darted back and forth a few times. Surely, the tension was palpable for Cere and Greez too. But the former Jedi seemed more composed than anyone else at the table.

After the unusually serious breakfast, everyone dispersed in different directions. Greez headed to the cockpit to keep the Mantis on course. Cere stayed by the holotable, and Cal disappeared towards the bedrooms. Willow remained at the dining table and sighed as she looked at the pile of dirty dishes. Taking care of the dishes was the least she could do as a small token of gratitude. She pulled out her wand and used the Levitation Charm to move the dishes from the sink to the countertop.

Willow aimed her wand at the dishes and cast Scourgify. The dishes washed themselves, and she dried them with another spell. The process took less than half an hour, and soon all the dishes were cleaned and sorted back into the cabinets. Willow then made sure that both the table and the floor were clean. As she cleaned, her thoughts wouldn't leave her alone. Doubts swirled around in her head, and she was relieved when she finally finished.

With the cleaning done, boredom began to creep in. Sure, she could read and study her schoolbooks, but she knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate on that right now. She wanted to distract herself from the strange situation with Cal at all costs. So, she joined Greez in the cockpit and took a seat in the co-pilot's chair as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Willow had intended to ask the captain something, but all the blinking technology in front of her immediately caught her attention.

"Whoa! What are all these buttons for?" she asked curiously.

Greez had to grin briefly.
"Oh, those. Nothing special," he waved it off. "But you'd better not touch 'em!"

Willow raised her hands immediately.
"Okay, okay. I won't touch anything. But isn't it a lot to remember just for the ship to keep flying?"

"Well, yeah. Of course. But it's worth it. Especially for this magnificent kind of a ship."

"How long have you been flying the Mantis?"

"Oh," the pilot began. "For ages," he continued, taking a breath as if to explain. Then he paused and looked at Willow skeptically. "Is this a distraction? Or are you just bored?"

Willow quickly shook her head.
"No, no! I don't want to distract you. I just don't know what to do with myself right now."

A moment of silence followed. Then Willow had an idea.
"Hey, Greez. Do you want to play a game?"

"A game? Hmm, I don't know... I can't leave this spot, girl."

"Good thing you don't have to. I just need one of your four hands," she smiled at Greez.

He looked at her in panic.
"One of my hands?! Not for any witchcraft, right?"

Willow had to chuckle briefly.
"No, don't worry. The game is very simple. It's popular with Muggles on Earth. They're basically non-magical people, regular folks. The game is called Rock, Paper, Scissors," she grinned.

Greez just frowned. Willow, undeterred, began explaining the rules of the game to him. The little captain listened attentively and then asked some questions at the end of Willow's explanation.

"So, wait. Scissors beat paper because they cut it. Got it. Rock beats scissors because the rock smashes the scissors. I get that too. But what's the role of paper again?"

"Paper beats rock."

"How? That makes no sense," Greez grumbled.

"Yes, it does. The paper wraps around the rock, Greez. That's why paper beats rock. Got it?" she asked.

The pilot just waved a hand dismissively.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it. So what now? You count to three, and then I show you the figure I've chosen?"

"Almost. Instead of counting, we say 'Rock, Paper, Scissors,' and when we get to 'Scissors,' we show our figures. But we have to do it at the same time. If we're out of sync, it doesn't count."

Greez shrugged.
"Fine by me."

They raised their fists, and Willow started the countdown. Greez chose scissors, and Willow showed paper.
"Hey, great! The first point goes to you, Greez."

The pilot's small, black eyes lit up. He clapped his hands together excitedly.
"Really? Okay, let's do it again."

They played a few more rounds. The captain was wholeheartedly into it, and Willow had to admit she was having more fun than she expected. Greez's joy with every win was so infectious that Willow couldn't help but laugh every time he cheered. After a few minutes, Greez was winning by a large margin.

"Wow, Greez! How do you do this? Are you cheating?" she asked, laughing.

Greez puffed out his chest and gave it a couple of taps.
"It's pure skill, kid."

Willow shook her head, laughing at his antics. Who would have thought that Greez would be so passionate about such a simple children's game? She heard Cere laugh as well. Willow turned her head in that direction and was surprised to see Cal standing there too.

The boy was watching them with a slight smile on his handsome face. But when he noticed Willow's gaze, he cleared his throat and started a conversation with Cere. The student was glad to see that the two were getting along again, but it hurt her a little that Cal seemed to be avoiding her. Maybe she would have to take the initiative and talk to him. Mentally, she set a deadline for herself: if Cal's behavior hadn't changed by this evening, Willow would confront him about it.
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1.956 Words,

and with that we're back with the shorter chapters. what do u think of Greez' and Willow's interaction? I've been hoping they'd get a scene together and I'm honestly glad it worked out.

plus, ouch, Willow's getting the cold shoulder. do u have an idea why Cal's acting strange and distanced all of a sudden? let me know what u think!
'till the next one,

~Alice