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Rey glared at the Amani shopkeeper who was continuing to stare doubtfully at the item that rested in his long arms. He shook his head from side to side and mumbled to himself in colloquial Amani from time to time. He was, Rey suspected, preparing to cheat her or worse – deny her. He was her only hope, and while she tried not to let the panic show in her face, her stomach convulsed in dread. The shopkeeper had to say yes! He had to!
He looked up and half-hissed, half-sighed. “Even if I believed this staff was made from a Corellian Redwood, I cannot pay you more than 65 credits for it.”
Rey looked at the staff in dismay. Her staff. The staff she’d fashioned from salvage on a downed Corellian freighter in her middle years on Jakku. It had kept her safe from sand creatures, other desperate scavengers, and Unkar Plutt. It had led her to her beloved Finn. So many memories, good and bad.
And now she was selling it.
She swallowed a lump in her throat. No, she had to be strong! It was Fest in two days and she had no money to buy Finn a gift, and she absolutely had to buy Finn a Fest gift. The entire year had been horrible, both of them eking out a tiny living in a new settlement on Lothal since the armistice between the First Order and the Rebellion had been put into effect by the new Galactic Senate. Last year they had shared a Quick-Meal Pack as their Fest meal, and there had been no gifts. Rey was determined that this year would be different, even if it meant giving up her most prized possession.
“The Corellian Redwood is extinct,” said Rey in a firm voice. “You’ll never find an intact staff made from it on this side of the galaxy. Sixty-five credits is an insult.”
The shopkeeper squinted at her, looked at the staff again, turned it around in his sticky hands.
“There is no market for battle staffs, even if they were made of Kyber crystal. But there is a collector I know who might be interested. I can go as high as 70 credits.”
Rey tried not to chew her lip. The gift she wanted to get Finn was 68 credits, firm, but she’d hoped to be able to buy something delicious to make as a Fest meal for herself and Finn.
The shopkeeper seemed to pick up on her indecision and he sneered. “If you think my price is unacceptable, of course you’re free to try one of my colleagues in bazaar.”
She stared at him in barely concealed hatred. The kriffer knew that no one else in the shopping bazaar would buy a used battle staff. Amani were a warrior race and prized low-tech weapons, and he was the only Amani who operated a shop on the bazaar.
“Fine. Seventy credits then,” she said in a voice laden with anger and defeat. “Hard currency?”
“Of course.” He beamed an insincere smile at her and quickly stowed the staff out of sight. Rey barely had a chance to give it a final glance. “I only deal in hard currency. Here you are then.”
Rey watched him count out the coins and she stuffed them in her pocket, mumbling a farewell in Amani that was not quite polite. She didn’t even have the satisfaction of seeing the shopkeeper’s face turn a livid gold as the film of tears in her eyes obscured almost everything until she got out of the shop.
“Oh well,” she murmured to herself. “It’s done now. I can buy Finn’s gift, at least. He’s going to be so surprised!”
She hurried to the other end of the bazaar where a Rodian sat at a stall looking immensely bored. He cocked his head when he saw her approach.
“You again? I’ve told you my price. Unless you have the money...”
“I have the money,” interrupted Rey. “I’ll take the set, if you still have it.”
The Rodian shopkeeper looked skeptical until Rey pulled out her wallet. His eyes glittered as she counted out the credits. Rey smiled in relief when the little man rummaged in his stock and pulled out the soft case. He opened it, allowing her to once more inspect the contents, and even gave a demonstration using the items from an old set. It worked just as he said it would and Rey was dazzled.
She smiled all the way on the transport home, clutching her precious burden and even thinking pleasantly of the Rodian who had thoughtfully wrapped the gift up in Fest paper of a dark-purple hue, Finn’s favorite color.
The next day, Rey tripped around as if on wings. Even the grimy work of stripping scrap metal from decommissioned freighters didn’t bring her down too much. She’d hidden the gift in her trunk, avoiding Finn’s questions about her mood and her activities that day. She hated keeping things from him but this was a special case. She just imagined the look on his face on Fest Day when he opened his gift and she was able to push through to the bitter end of her shift.
Thinking about his grueling job fitting pipe for the new water system in the outer towns made her even more happy that at least for one day, he’d be able to relax and enjoy something for a change. And who knew? It was said that fortunes could change on Fest. Maybe this would be the start of good fortune for the both of them.
On the morning of Fest, just as the dawn broke and bathed their small apartment with light, Finn rolled onto his back breathing heavily and smiling muzzily at the ceiling.
“Well … that was a nice way … to start … the day. Happy Fest, Rey.”
Rey chuckled and buried her face in the crook of his neck, tracing over the slick trails of sweat that streaked Finn’s throat and upper torso. She knew that Finn loved when she rode him like a Brezak, and on this Fest morning, he had been even more energetic than usual, and his usual level of energy was impressive to say the least.
“Happy Fest, Finn.” She kissed his jaw. “How about breakfast?”
He grunted softly. “Seems a shame to leave this nice, comfortable bed just to have Serra toast and butter. Cuddling is a lot better than Serra toast and butter and caf.”
“I agree, except we’re not having Serra toast and butter.” She gave him a farewell kiss and then bounced out of bed, feeling for her nightdress. “We’re having a proper Fest breakfast: Waffles and muja syrup.”
“What?” Finn sounded stunned. “How … how did we manage to be able to afford Waffles or muja syrup?”
Rey paused brushing her hair. “Well … I persuaded Tah Brens to give me a small advance on my salary. Nothing much, but enough for us to have proper Fest meals all day today.”
She smiled when she felt his presence behind her and the press of his beautiful mouth against the nape of her neck.
“You’re brilliant, you know that? I wish we could get advances on salary at my work. Maybe then …”
Rey turned and looked at him, frowning at his contemplative expression.
“Maybe what?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head and grinned. “C’mon, let’s get to those waffles. I’ve worked up an appetite.”
The waffles were even better than Rey had imagined, and she had to restrain herself from literally licking the plate clean. The food definitely perked Finn up and they laughed in a playful contest for who would eat the last waffle, which they split anyway.
“That was delicious,” said Finn, drinking the last of his caf. “This has been an amazing Fest already. Feel like taking a walk down near the reservoir?”
“In a second.” Rey could barely contain her excitement. “There’s something else I want to give you first.”
He looked mildly alarmed. “Hmm, maybe I should use the fresher first before we, uh, go for round two.”
Rey laughed. “No, not that. Hold on.”
She darted to her trunk and smiled down at the parcel still wrapped in beautiful paper. Taking a deep breath, she went back into their living room, holding the box out in front of her.
“Happy Fest, Finn,” she said placing it near his empty plate. “I hope you like it.”
He stared up at her in astonishment. “A gift? Rey, how much was that advance?”
She shrugged. “Not much, but I didn’t use it for this. Open it, I want to see how it works.”
Finn gave her an odd look, but carefully unwrapped the paper, which made Rey smile. He stopped at the sight of the soft case and Rey heard his sharp, indrawn breath.
“Is this … what I think it is?”
“Yes! Open it!”
Finn gave her another odd look that Rey couldn’t quite decipher, but he slowly unsnapped the case to reveal a shimmering cylinder and, next to it, a long thin stiff-bristled brush.
“Holy kriff,” said Finn in a low, reverent voice. “It is. This is actually a Yaka Mend Kit! Rey … these are expensive as hell. How did you get one?”
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Rey sidestepped the question for the moment and looked down at the items. “Now you can fix your jacket and wear it again!”
When they’d fled to Lothal after the last battles of the war, they’d literally come with just the clothes on their backs, which for Finn, included his prized leather flight jacket. It had been one of the first real pieces of clothing that had actually been his after he’d defected from the First Order. He considered the jacket his lucky charm. By the end of the war, however, it had been worn to tatters and he’d put it out of harm’s way to keep it from further deteriorating. Yaka Mend Kits utilized a special technology that could fix any textile and restore it to its previous condition, good as new. Just a few dabs of the substance on the jacket, and it would be whole again.
Rey’s happy smile faded. Finn looked less than thrilled. He looked almost sick, in fact.
“Finn? Don’t you … don’t you like it?”
Finn gently closed the kit and stood up.
“I love it.” His face was grave. “But how did you pay for this?”
Rey bit her lip. It had never occurred to her to lie to Finn, not ever. But his face was so serious and his eyes seemed so sad that she almost wished that she was a better liar.
“I-I sold my staff.”
Finn reeled, steadying himself by grasping the edge of the table. “You what? Your staff? You … sold it?”
She twisted her hands, not able to look him in the eye suddenly. “Yes, to an Amani.”
“Not that kriffhead in the bazaar?” Finn groaned when she answered him by flushing deep red. “Rey … you made that staff with your own hands. You brought it from Jakku. It …”
“Finn, listen to me. It was … we’ve been struggling so much. You love that jacket. I heard you tell Poe last month over holo that you felt that a lot of our problems were because you couldn’t wear your lucky charm anymore. My staff … it was an easy decision.”
Rey met his eyes then, blinking away the tears in her own. “I wanted this to be a good Fest. After everything we’ve had to deal with, we deserve it. And I wanted to get you the best Fest gift I could. And that was it, and please tell me you like it …”
“I do like it,” said Finn quietly. “I love it. I love you.”
Rey let out a large sigh of relief and fell into his arms. “I’m so glad. I couldn’t wait to give this to you. Get your jacket; I’ve never seen Yaka tech before. At least not up close.”
Finn squeezed her tight for a moment and then stepped back, giving her a slight smile.
“OK, be right back.”
Rey smiled at the little kit. It looked so innocuous there, and there was only enough mending substance for the jacket, but it was well worth it. Her eyes went hazy when she imagined Finn in a jacket that was good as new. He looked so handsome, well, in anything or nothing at all, but that jacket was just …
He entered the room again and she turned eagerly, but her face fell. He was not carrying his prized jacket. Instead, he held a large, rectangular box wrapped in green paper, a beautiful green like the Takodana hills where she first knew that she was helplessly in love with him.
“What’s this?”
He was beaming at her. “Happy Fest, Rey.”
Rey’s mouth dropped open. “You got me a gift? But I thought … how …?”
“Open it.” He placed the box in her hands. “Please?”
There was a note in Finn’s voice that Rey couldn’t quite place, but she did as asked, not quite as carefully as Finn did, as the box was quite heavy, but able to salvage most of the pretty paper. Her curiosity was burning. Finn had gotten her a Fest gift! His bosses were much less lenient than hers. She doubted they would actually lend him the money.”
When Rey got the lid of the box, she stared. She couldn’t believe her eyes. It took her a moment to even remember how to speak.
“Finn … it’s … it’s …”
“The stand.” He chuckled softly. “Yep.”
She ran her hand over the heavy, copper-colored, U-shaped object. She’d noticed it when they’d walked through the bazaar when it opened earlier in the month for Fest. It was the finest Shriyiwook craftsmanship and gleamed in the light. It was just perfect for displaying her staff – made for that purpose, in fact, and Rey had admired it, offhandedly mentioning to Finn that it would be lovely to be able to store her well-loved staff in a nice, secure place, rather than just leaving it in the corner.
Tears stung her eyes. Here was the stand, and now she had no staff. Kriff, kriff, and double kriff.
“I … oh, Finn … it’s beautiful.” She wiped her cheeks. “But how did you pay for it? It was so expensive …”
Finn laughed again and placed a hand on her damp cheek. “I sold my jacket.”
Her eyes went huge. “You what?”
“Apparently Yanvinian leather, even in poor condition, is a big draw for Wookies. It helped that I understand a little Shriyiwook now, too.”
Rey gaped at him. “Finn, you love that jacket!”
“I love you more,” he said, kissing her gently on the forehead. “I wanted you to give you a great Fest this year.” He looked at the Mend Kit. “Looks like we had the same idea, huh?”
Rey had to laugh. There was nothing else to do but that. “We’re hopeless, huh?”
“Probably. But we have each other, at least.” He pulled her into his arms. “Thank you for my great Fest gift.”
“Thank you for my great Fest gift.”
The kiss that followed was slow and sweet.
The activities that followed the kiss, however, were neither.
“Is this the place?”
“It is. Small, yes?”
“Cozy, I’d say. But they are destined for bigger and better things.”
“Indeed. But why are we doing this, again?”
“Remember those cute kids from before?”
“That nice carpenter and his –”
“No, no, the other cute kids, think two millennia or so later…”
“Oh the short-haired lovely and the bloke with the watch?”
“Those are the ones. Well … this, uh, let me check the manifest… yeah, here they are, this ‘Finn and Rey’ have gone and done the same thing. And we majorly hecked up last time, so we’ve got to make it right. All of our gifts to them, we can leave on their doorstep. They’re … uh, busy at the moment. Make sure that you put the envelope full of credits that they spent on each other in there, too. Careful! Don't drag the bow on the ground. The ribbon will be mussed and it took me an hour to get everything wrapped! Got that staff?”
“Yep. That Amani fellow drove a hard bargain! Got the jacket?”
“No, I have the provisions: Kashykk fritters in blue cream sauce, Naboo Fest cake, and all the rest for Fest Feast. Besides, I'm not proficient in Shriyiwook.”
"So who has the jacket?"
The two men slowly turned and glanced at the man lagging behind them. There was an aggrieved sigh.
“Melchior, cut it out! We’re on a schedule here. Besides, that jacket doesn’t suit you.”
the end!