The network finally quieted enough for Penny to put down the tiny, beat-up communicator, inwardly thankful that it had gone another day without shorting out from her magic. Her hands shook a little; fatigue or stress, she wasn’t sure yet...and doubted it would come clear for a while yet. A day inundated with newcomers, strangers all to her, and she couldn’t help but equate stranger with foe. Hannah, of course, had rushed right off to administer to injuries, despite Penny’s warnings, and George wasn’t much better. Logically, Penny knew the chances of the arrivals being a threat was low, but it was never a zero chance. And she’d seen too much devastation even before being dragged to this snow-encapsulated world. She couldn’t just open her arms wide to the unknowns.
At least Poe understood. Too much a leader to outright draw a line between their people and the new ones, he at least urged caution. And if his words leaned that way, Penny knew from experience that his actions would be even stronger. He wouldn’t let chaos overwhelm them. In this, she trusted him implicitly.
Exhausted but too keyed up to sit, she wandered around the tiny adjacent rooms that made up her space, her retreat when it was needed. Just a front room and a bedroom with a tiny bathroom, little more, big enough for herself and Poe when he chose to stay, but affording her that prized quiet as well. There had been more to the apartment at some point, but walls here had caved in, closed off other spots, left just this space. She was lucky; others were holed up two or three to a space. But she’d been one of the first arrivals, before they’d had to accommodate so many more. And she used her magic to keep it warm, even homey in a way, with more candles than one person really needed, blankets, worn furniture that one could sink into and she never brought herself to fully fix and lose that sensation. Small, but it reflected her. She liked that. At this late hour, it felt like the only safe spot in the storm.
She was peering out between slats in the boarded up window in the bedroom when she heard the front door. A select few knew they could come and go as they pleased, so normally she wouldn’t be alarmed, but with so many overrunning the town, she felt a small frisson of fear. Arms a bit tight across the beat up sweater she wore, she headed towards the main room. Hannah and George were likely asleep by now…. “Poe, is that you?”
***
When Roz and Ciri had mentioned having odd visions and Rey confirmed that she was also having strange feelings, Poe thought he was prepared for whatever might be headed their way. In the roughly two months since he’d first arrived in this place, they had dealt with a lot of insanity and the small group had bonded, looking out for each other as they scoured the run down city for resources and protected themselves from the variety of monsters that had attacked. No one might understand what brought them here or even where here really was and all they really had was each other.
He certainly was not prepared to deal with the arrival of dozens of new people, all of whom claimed to be from some ‘alternate’ version of Vallo, one that wasn’t a decimated wasteland full of monsters. It had made for a busy day, keeping an eye on all of his people, making sure that the new folks were able to safely get settled, and ensuring that they had enough supplies for their suddenly exploded population. By the time he made it back to Morningside and swung by Gretchen’s apartment for some much-needed booze, he realized he didn’t want to be alone and, assuming that Leia and Rey were sleeping already, he headed to Penelope’s place since he wanted to check on her anyway.
Thanks to their bonding since arriving here, he knew that she was probably struggling more than she let on with the sudden influx of people.
“Yeah, it’s me,” he said, keeping his voice soft. “I have booze.”
***
Feeling relief flood her as she exhaled, Penny relaxed her arms as she walked over, smiling. "You always know just what to say," she teased, before enveloping him in a tight hug. If it lasted a little longer than usual, she could chalk it up to gratitude that he was safe. It had been on her mind; as one of their de facto leaders, he was too often front and center in any conflict.
Stepping back, she added, "I assume that's from Gretchen, which tells me her group is also alright, for now." Her eyes searched his face for clues as to how he fared: liquid dark eyes, with too much fatigue there for her liking, same too-long hair touching the edge of his brows, the mouth that she could never quite trust because he smiled even when things were bad. She'd told many terrible stories to that face, to sympathy and understanding in those eyes, which had cemented their friendship in the few months. "How are you feeling?"
---
Poe wasn’t even going to pretend he wasn’t exhausted, both physically and mentally. Besides, if he tried, he knew that Penelope would see right through him. They may have only known each other a few months, but it had been an intense few months and she knew more about his history than anyone else here, even Leia and Rey. She’d heard the stories of his close calls during his days as a spice runner, of what caused him to leave that life behind and join up with the resistance, of the guilt he carried over all the people who had been lost under his command.
“Tired,” he said. “Grateful that Gretchen keeps a stash and is willing to share.” The sharing part wasn’t so much of a surprise. With such a small group of them, they had to do what they could to ensure all of their survival. Something that felt oddly precarious with the new arrivals. He couldn’t quite let himself believe the tiny spark of hope that they would somehow be able to get them to a place that wasn’t this bad.
He didn’t mind that she hugged him a bit longer than usual, was reluctant himself to let go, wanting to cling to the familiar. “You okay? Anything interesting happen around here?”
***
“Other than a bunch of strangers appearing out of nowhere? I’m afraid not.” She smiled, lopsided and wry, pausing to move that shock of hair back from his face. “I talked to a few, but there’s no one from my world. I stuck with Morgan and Hannah all day.” Sighing, she tugged him over towards the couch. “I’m fine. Sit. You look like you are about to fall over anyway.” She punctuated that with a small kiss on his cheek, before she went rummaging for a couple glasses. There was no proper kitchen of any sort, at least one not buried under rubble somewhere, but she made enough potions that there tended to be mismatched dishes and such around.
Already, she felt a little more grounded now that he was here. Penny could defend herself against a lot, given her magic and her time in the war, but it wasn’t the same as having someone else on her side, someone to fight along with. She’d been on the run by herself for so long, alone in so many battles, that Poe was more than a friend and a lover; he was an ally she relied on with her life. No small thing, to her. Their relationship wasn’t romantic, but it was unshakeable as far as she was concerned.
Bringing back the two mugs she’d dug up, she sat on the couch. “Do you….think they are telling the truth? About another Vallo?” It had been on her mind all day, but she’d been afraid to even think it. Hope could be a dangerous thing.
***
“I… can’t see what the point would be in lying about it,” Poe admitted. “They haven’t done anything that makes me think they want to harm us, though I am proceeding with caution.” Growing up in the midst of one war and joining up with another as an adult meant that caution was automatic and hope didn’t come easily.
It was almost too much to hope, that there was some way out of this that didn’t involve returning to their home worlds. If Poe had to choose between that and staying here, he would choose here with Leia every time. The loss of her at home was still fresh and painful. Plus, he appreciated the others he’d met here, Penny and Morgan in particular. “I guess we’ll see.” It was not his preferred strategy, but it had pretty much been all they had since arriving here.
***
“A lot of them are vouched for, as well.” She sounded reluctant to admit that, but likely for the same reason as he was. It meant that this other Vallo could be real, could be better. If they could get there, they would still have each other and their friends and loved ones here. But wanting it and making it happen were two different things altogether.
“They are determined. That’s not a bad thing. And maybe, we could all use a little boost to our numbers. Not just for defense, but….new faces. More people to talk to. More ideas on how to survive.” She held out the mugs so he could pour a little of Gretchen’s liquor into them. “Talk about boost, though...this is really appreciated.” She clinked her mug against his.
***
In addition to their numbers, the new arrivals also seemed to be much better organized. Poe was equal parts glad and slightly intimidated by that. He and his folks had done their best with the limited resources they had available, so he knew logically that he shouldn’t judge them in comparison to the people from the other, less horrible Vallo.
He clinked his mug against Penny’s and smiled at her before taking a long sip. “Thank goodness for Gretchen and her booze hoarding,” he joked. “And with any luck, these new folks will help us find additional resources. Maybe we won’t have to ration so much.”
***
Nodding, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm just glad we had a little space left, so we aren't forced out into the open." The land beyond their small, ruined town teemed with creatures, enough that nightfall meant everyone needed to be in. Not that nightfall was easy to tell, moving from gloomy to a thicker darkness.
Taking a longer sip of her drink, she scooted closer to him on the couch. "If they can find a way, we are going, right?" The implication was there; she had no interest trying to find a path to the other Vallo if he wasn't going. "It's not home, but...maybe we should be listening to them, and try to get to this other side."
***
Poe nodded without hesitation. “Absolutely,” he said. “It can’t be worse than things are here.” Okay, he supposed it could be, but it would be difficult to be worse than here. And going home wasn’t as appealing since Leia was here.
When she scooted closer, he shifted his drink to the other hand so he could stretch his arm around her shoulders. “But only if we all go,” he said. “I’m not leaving anyone behind.”
***
Settling against him, Penny sighed, glad to relax but knowing her mind would be chewing this over for a bit. “I know you won’t,” she reassured him. She regretted her implication earlier, that they should get at least free if they could, because she knew full well his regrets of the past, of the people he had lost. Why was it that each world they knew was still consumed with war? It seemed universal.
“We will get there, someday,” she finally said, tilting her head back so she could look at him, taking some enjoyment in that, among all the devastation of this place. “Now we know that it’s there, we have something to fight for, instead of just fight against, right? And if not their Vallo, we still know there are other worlds. We won’t give up.” And for now, she would take this time, curled up on the couch, the warmth of the alcohol, the reassuring weight of his arm around her.
***
“It is nice to have a sliver of hope, no matter how small it might be,” Poe agreed. Now that he was warm and comfortable, the adrenaline of the day’s events was wearing off fast and he was suddenly hit with an incredible wave of exhaustion. He managed to set his glass down and buried his nose in the top of Penelope’s hair. “I feel like I could sleep for a week.”
He wouldn’t and he knew that. At most, he hoped he could get a solid four or five hours before his sense of responsibility and duty woke him to ensure that everyone was safe and accounted for.
***
“I can at least offer a warm bed, and a few hours of not thinking about anything.” He couldn’t see her smile, but she knew he would hear it in her voice. It was these small moments that made everything else bearable. They had both suffered immeasurably from the wars, but at least for now they were alive, and safe, and had each other. Penny would take that any night. She felt beyond grateful to have Hannah and George, but this was different. Poe was different.
Winding her fingers in his, she leaned back to look at him. “Let’s go get some sleep. Tomorrow is soon enough to worry.”