Welcome home.

[imthepilot]

With Galen finally being released from the Infantry today, Bodhi has pulled out all the stops to make sure their rooms are ready. The bar has been very helpful, providing him with everything he needs to make it work for them.

The rooms are large and airy, open planned living and dinning. Thick carpets and warm colours make it homely and comfortable.

The bar has made sure Bodhi's kitchen has all the appliances he's use to and a big pantry. All the lovely hardwood benches and lots of storage.

The bedroom faces out onto the balcony, just as the living room does, giving them a view of the lake and the gardens. There's an office and workshop for Galen too, ready to be set up the way he wants it.

And a bathroom with a water fresher big enough for two, and of all things - a spa bath.

The balcony has been lined with pots, one wall lined with climbing frames, ready for creeps, flowers and climbing legumes. The kitchen window is also lined with little pots of fresh herbs.

Bodhi opens the door for Galen, biting his lip and hoping Galen likes it.

Comments

[imthepilot]

"I'll know that you're real. And that you're here. With me." And that he's not alone any more.

[galen_erso]

"Yes, I guess only real people snore," Galen says. "Or make these sudden hissing sounds like snakes rehearsing a speech."

[imthepilot]

"I don't do that, do I?" Bodhi asks, a little worried.

Myrrh pads in from the balcony, Kyber following her, chasing her tail. Bodhi smiles at them.

[galen_erso]

"Oh no, you don't," Galen says. "Lyra used to, when she had a little too much to drink. It always amused me, especially if we had been flinging grand plans around over whatever we had been having, with whatever friends had dropped by."

Pause.

"They have their own stairs?"

[imthepilot]

That's dreadfully sweet and makes Bodhi smile. "I can imagine the pair of you hosting great parties."

Bodhi shakes his head. "No, I think they were sunning themselves. There's a little table outside, if we want to eat out there. Myrrh likes to sleep on it. They have their own door, so they can come and go as they please."

[galen_erso]

Galen takes a step outside, pulling Bodhi with him, and picks up Kyber who had been peering at them from the balcony railing.

"They are free creatures," he nods. "And yes, we sometimes had parties for our friends and fellow researchers when somebody special was in town and we could all catch up. At that time, we still thought Krennic was a friend. Or at least I did."

[imthepilot]

Kyber purrs happily and headbutts Galen's chin. "I don't think Kyber's quite ready to be free without someone to keep an eye on him but Myrrh seems happy enough to do that, when we're not around."

"You wanted to see the best in someone you liked and trusted." Just as Bodhi trusted the rebels to rescue Galen.

As promised, there's a little table for two out in the sun, where the flowers will cover the walls when they're grown. Little violet flowers already showing.

[galen_erso]

"Yes, so I did," Galen says. "But I turned out to be horrible wrong."

Beat.

"Bygones, though. What are those flowers called?"

He's still holding and stroking the kitten.

[imthepilot]

"So was I." Bodhi mutters, as much to himself as to Galen.

"Royal violets. That's what my grandmother called them. They were from her home world." He touches the clumps tiny flowers. "They're the same colour as her eyes."

[galen_erso]

"So you had them in NiJedha," Galen nods. "It's good to know more survives of that city than just three people."

[imthepilot]

"I was taking to the Guardians about her. I wanted to show Chirrut what violet was." The memory is tinged bitter now. "The bar happily gave me a sprig of flowers when I asked. Their scent is very soft but... it reminded me of better times."

[galen_erso]

"Why did he have to know about purple in the first place?" Galen asks.

He is still quite awed by Chirrut, never mind that the man hates his guts. The blind warrior monk deserves a lot of respect.

[imthepilot]

"Violet can be a scent as much as a colour. The feeling of the petals." Bodhi shrugs, leaning against the rail. "I guess that's what I was trying to share. Baze shares colours with him too, in terms of other senses and emotions."

[galen_erso]

"That is very considerate of him, and shows how much he cares," Galen says. "Do you know if Chirrut has always been blind, or whether he could see as a child?"

[imthepilot]

"I don't know. I think if he lost his sight, he lost it very young. We really... didn't get to know each other, before Scarif. There wasn't time." And Bodhi was hardly in the right frame of mind to cope.

[galen_erso]

"Where did you meet them?" Galen asks, putting down the kitten to reach for Bodhi again.

[imthepilot]

"In Saw Gerrera stronghold. In the catacombs west of NiJedha. They were in the cell next to mine." Bodhi's voice is soft and a little lost.

[galen_erso]

"So that is where he was hiding," Galen says, pulling Bodhi closer. "I heard about them when I was there -- ancient burial places with many scary myths attached to them."

Even about monsters lurking there.

[imthepilot]

"It was- as bad as the stories." Bodhi's voice shakes a little.

[galen_erso]

Galen holds him close and says nothing.

[imthepilot]

Bodhi buries himself in Galen's arms. Shaking slightly.

[galen_erso]

Galen dips his head to kiss Bodhi's cheek, and his temple. "My brave pilot."

[imthepilot]

Bodhi tries to push it away. Tries to focus on the present.

They are dead. The dead are safe. They are together.

Myrrh recognises the reaction and jumps up on the rail, head-butting Bodhi and mewing at him.

[galen_erso]

Galen reaches out to touch her dark fur. "Perhaps show me where the cat food is kept?"

No dwelling in darkness, not yet. First, they need to find their feet.

[imthepilot]

Bodhi nods gratefully, pulling himself together. He pets Myrrh, whispering a thank you to her before heading inside.

"Kyber's almost old enough to stop needing kitten milk. There's fresh meat for both of them in the cooler." He opens the large refrigerator door to show the compartment where it's kept. "And a dried food supplement the bar recommended here."

Two hoppers of kibble on the bench, labelled with their names. There are bowls too, each with their names. Could be Bodhi, could be the bar but someone's spoiling them.

Kyber looks at his bowl, expectantly. Clearly food is expected to be dished out, now that it's been mentioned.