The Ball
“Whoops! Sorry! Small droid comin’ through!”
Kai’s eyes were alight with mischief as she chased BB-8 through the halls of the Resistance Base, as they were playing a game of tag, which had quickly become the small mechanical whirlwind’s favorite activity once Kai introduced them to it. It had been six months since she’d coerced Rey into playing a treetop version with her, and the two of them often played the childish game of cat-and-mouse whenever they could. Her braid flew behind her like a wayward whip, hitting several annoyed passersby in the face, but BB-8 remained just out of her reach.
“Princess La Kai.”
Kai yelped as Leia suddenly stepped in front of her, almost toppling over in her attempts to not bowl into the Commander, but Leia held up a calm hand and Kai felt herself steady.
“How can I be of service, Commander?” Kai asked with a cheeky grin, and Leia rolled her eyes fondly.
“I’ve received word from your grandmother,” she said, and Kai instantly sobered, straightening her posture out of habit, “there is to be a royal ball held in your palace, and you’re required to be there. All of your other siblings are returning, and I’d recommend you bring a few friends.” By friends, she, of course, meant Rey, Finn, and Poe.
“I worry that, since your grandmother declared official neutrality of Shu-torun,” Leia continued, “that several more unsavory guests will be in attendance, so you’ll have to keep your cool.” Kai nodded, though she wasn’t happy about it. To start a fight on neutral ground would be the same as declaring war, which would ruin all of her grandmother’s hard work.
“I’ll go tell the others. When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow, so make sure you’re packed and ready to go.”
“Aye aye, cap’n!” With that, Kai saluted and then marched off, BB-8 beeping excitedly as they rolled alongside of her. The little droid was spouting out facts they knew about her home planet, and Kai found it especially endearing.
The other three were seen hunched over their forgotten meals, whispering in hushed voices. Without any warning, Kai plopped herself down on the bench next to Rey and leaned back into the other girl, who yelped, cheeks flushing quickly, though Kai pretended not to notice.
“We’re going on a vacation,” she declared, and was met by the incredulous looks of the three people she’d grown closest to while on the Base.
“Pardon?”
“Come again?”
BB-8 beeped excitedly, and Kai chuckled.
“My grandmother’s hosting a royal ball on Shu-torun, so I have to be in attendance, and I’ve decided you’re all coming with me. But remember it’s neutral ground there so even if Kylo Ren himself shows up you aren’t allowed to punch him in the throat. It’s been approved by Commander Leia of course, so all you guys have to do is pack and be ready by the morning, got it?” There was a lull in the conversation as they soaked up what Kai’s just told them, before Finn piped up uncertainly.
“Kai?”
“Yes, Finn?”
“What does one wear to a royal ball?” He didn’t exactly have the most expansive wardrobe, after all, his closet mainly comprising of clothes that he’d stolen from Poe, as well as some of the ones the clothes makers on the Base had provided for him, and he could see that Rey and Poe had similar concerns. It wasn’t as though they went to balls on a regular basis.
Kai, however, simply brushed their concerns to the side with a wave of her hand.
“Don’t worry about it, the tailors will whip you up something, they work really quickly.” She left no room for argument, and, as instructed, the other three were packed and ready by the morning, and Chewie handed the reigns of the Millennium Falcon to Rey and Poe, before sending them off.
As soon as Rey stepped off of the Millennium Falcon, she was being greeted by a short, grey haired woman with familiar blue eyes who looked sweet but at the time, carried herself in a way that was more intimidating than anyone Rey had ever encountered, including Commander Organa.
“Oh, you must be Rey! Kai’s written so much about you in her letters! How are you doing? Was the flight alright?” Before Rey even had time to open her mouth to answer the questions, she moved on to Finn and Poe, fussing over them both, before crouching down to BB-8’s level and patting the excited droid on the head.
“Where’s my granddaughter?”
“Grandma!” laughed Kai, and she immediately latched onto the old woman like a leech, her head finding a resting spot in Trios’s hair. While they were talking to one another, Rey looked up and soaked in the grandeur of the Shutorac Palace, standing out starkly white to the dark volcanic ground surrounding them. It was just as magnificent inside, and she couldn’t imagine what it must’ve been like growing up there. As she, Finn, and Poe were busy looking around at everything, Rey was in her element, walking around casually with her grandmother.
As Rey craned her head upwards, she thought she saw a flash of blonde from the rafters, and her suspicions were confirmed when two small blurs jumped down before tackling their older sister, who growled at them and began an onslaught of tickles.
The brown eyed Jedi hid a smile as she saw Kai play with her little brothers, a small part of her fluttering as she took in how good the other girl was with children, and couldn’t help but imagine Kai with a small brown haired boy with blue eyes, before snapping herself out of her reverie as one of the small laughing balls of energy latched onto her leg in an attempt to escape his sister.
“Rekan! Let go of Rey’s leg!”
“I’m Ryken!” he shot back, sticking his tongue out.
“No you’re not,” Kai shot back, “Ryken has a mole on his left ear, which you’re missing.” The boy pouted, and clung on to Rey tighter.
“Dominam can never tell us apart,” Ryken complained, still standing next to his sister, “she just calls us Twin 1 and Twin 2.”
“I’m Twin 1.”
“No, I’m Twin 1!” They bickered back and forth for a moment until Rekan grew bored and turned his baby blue eyes up at Rey.
“Are you Kai’s girlfriend?” At his seemingly innocent question, Rey did her best impression of a tomato, coloring from her ears down her neck. She sputtered helplessly for a few moments before Kai plucked the boy off of Rey’s leg, perching him on her hip and whispering something into his ear. Rey soon recovered, absentmindedly brushing out invisible creases on her tunic.
“Ignore them,” Kai told her, pushing them away, “they love making people uncomfortable. Come along, I’ll show you to your rooms.” Finn and Poe, who had been silently watching the interaction with amusement in their eyes, followed suit.
“I can’t believe you grew up here,” said Finn, who was still busy trying to take everything in. Kai grinned up at him, and Rey felt her heart flutter at the bright, radiant smile.
“It’s home,” she said with a grin, “maybe when this is all over, you three could stay here for a while.” Her eyes flickered to meet Rey’s when she said this, and Rey felt another blush creep onto her cheeks, trying to stubbornly will it away.
“Sister, dearest, your gay is showing.”
“How many brothers do you have?” Poe asked incredulously as he craned his neck to observe the young boy leaning against a doorframe, his auburn hair perfectly groomed, green eyes shining with mirth.
“Four,” he responded, “I’m the best, of course, but by the smiles on your faces I can tell you haven’t met our dearest brother Plutoric yet.” Here, he turned to Kai. “I managed to sic him with Dom, she needed help taking care of the newest addition to our family.” He wrinkled his nose. “She’s so spoilt already. Who names their daughter Harmony? What sort of name is that?”
“What sort of name is Chenwick?” Kai shot back.
“Oh, like it’s any better than ‘LaNeptis Kai-’”
“Alright, alright, no need to use the whole name squirt, jeez,” laughed Kai, ruffling her brother’s hair.
“What’s the deal with Plutoric?” Poe asked, and Kai wrinkled her nose.
“He’s a stuck-up ass who’s probably the biggest cowards I’ve ever met,” Kai responded quickly, to which the thirteen year old next to her nodded his agreement, “a sympathiser for the First Order.” Finn bristled noticeably at this, and Poe rubbed his shoulder in a comforting manner.
“I’ll try to keep him away from you,” Chenwick reassured, shooting a sidelong glance at his sister, “won’t be easy though, he loves picking fights with Kai. It’s practically all they do.” Before he could delve into the details of some of the more interesting fights that Kai and Plutoric had engaged in, Kai ushered her friends into their rooms. Finn and Poe were sharing, of course, as nothing anybody did could separate them. They were practically joined at the hip, and Rey’s room was right next to the childhood dwellings of Kai.
“I’ll show you around before we have lunch,” she told them, “then you’ll meet the rest of the family, they’ll all be at the ball tonight.”
Rey had quickly decided that she’d need to keep detailed notes on the names of everyone in Kai’s expansive family. The girl had six aunts, all of whom were older than her father, Monthan the Second: Maeve, Autumn, Ophelia, Katarzyna, Scarlett, and Reyna. All of them were married, four to men and two to women, and all had children except Ophelia, who claimed that droids were more her style than children.
Kai had gone down the table, naming each of them, and Rey, Finn, and Poe, had tried to memorize three each, but to no avail.
Rekan and Ryken had rolled their eyes at the struggling visitors, and had begun to quickly talk their ears off discussing which cousins were worth their time and which weren’t.
“Monthan the 3rd is no fun,” Rekan confided in Rey, whispering so the teenager in question couldn’t hear him, “his little sister Raven is alright though, as far as little girls go.” Here, he pointed at the youngest girl present, who was giggling happily to herself.
She stopped listening about half way through, instead busying herself in the act of trying to mimic how the others were eating, trying not to make a fool of herself.
“So, you’re Rey, huh?” a fifteen year old who Rey vaguely remembered was named Octavia piped up, and the dark haired girl turned to smirk at her older cousin, who was eyeing her with apprehension.
“That’s me,” Rey confirmed, shooting a hesitant smile, “I presume you’ve heard about me from Kai? I wouldn’t believe everything she says, according to her I’m irrevocably in love with her, and just in denial.”
“Well, you’re not wrong,” Kai shot back, before winking at Octavia, “you know me, O, no lady can resist my charm.” The girl laughed into her napkin, shaking her head fondly.
“She seems to be doing a pretty good at resisting, Kai,” Octavia continued with a shrug, “though I guess this means you’re pretty serious about making her swoon, most others would’ve high-tailed it at the prospect of meeting our entire family.”
“Not much scares me anymore,” Rey joked back, “I did see your cousin when someone tried to pull her out of a tree, not a sight anyone wants to see.” At the other girl’s laugh, Rey let herself slink back into her chair and take a bite out of her food. She’d been severely anxious about meeting an entire royal family at once, but they acted as she assumed normal families did.
The sulking dark haired man towards the end of the table didn’t escape her notice, sitting stoically next to a greying man with glowing green eyes, who was being talked at by a rather conventionally pretty woman, with long, blond hair and light brown eyes, a small wiggling bundle nestled into her arms.
“He’s just upset because he can’t annoy us.” Rey almost jumped when Kai’s voice floated into her ears, and she turned to observe the other girl.
“How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“It’s almost like you can read my mind,” Rey hissed back.
“I can’t really control it,” said Kai with a shrug, “I can ‘hear’ some of the surface thoughts of people around us, and you were practically staring holes into Plutoric’s shirt, so it wasn’t very hard to put together.”
“Are all of your family meals like this?”
“Most of the time,” laughed Kai, “Poe and Finn seem to be having a good time.” Rey let her eyes wander, and she smiled when she saw her friends goofing off for the younger children, pulling faces and making weird noises. They’d make good parents to their own one day, she knew.
A servant made her way into the room silently, walking up to Trios respectfully, whispering something for her before turning to Plutoric.
“Your guests have arrived, sir,” she told him, bowing her head, “one General Hux of the First Order and his plus one.” The four friends froze and observed Kai’s older brother with unmasked horror. He smiled cruelly, thanking the servant before getting up to collect them.
“Grandmother,” Kai interrupted, “we’re going to retire to our rooms to prepare for tonight, as my friends will need clothes tailored for them.” Trios nodded, giving them permission to leave, and the four immediately hurried away.
“You look wonderful, miss.” Kai shot her personal maid, Mabel, a stunning smile, observing herself in the mirror. She wore the traditional heiress attire of the Shutorac House (because Trios hated dresses), which consisted of a collared white shirt with golden embroidery, paired with dress pants that clung tightly to her legs, almost like leggings, in order to provide her with freedom to move. A long blue sash was attached to her shoulder, pooling down like a cape.
Across the hall, she could see Finn and Poe tightening each other’s ties, grinning at each other like fools. Finn’s suit was a deep purple, while Poe’s was a traditional black suit. BB-8 was even proudly donning a bowtie for the even, rolling around a mirror as they observed the accessory with pride.
Poe let out a low whistle when he saw Kai exit, smiling brightly at her.
“You look great, Kai,” he grinned, “if I wasn’t happily taken, I’d be swooning right now.” Finn laughed and shook his head fondly at his boyfriend, and Kai rolled her eyes, which were now lined with kohl.
“It’s a good thing you’ve got a boyfriend, then,” she teased back, “because I’m much too gay for you, Poe.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” muttered Chenwick, who had made an appearance from the shadows smoothly, wearing a set of clothing very similar to Kai’s except for the added epaulets and a dark green cloak, fiddling with his matching bowtie, which Kai expertly straightened for him, eliciting a grateful smile from the teenager.
“Thanks, sis, I can always count on you.” They made small talk for a while before Chenwick tugged on Kai’s arm, eyes motioning pointedly behind her. Kai turned smoothly and had a sharp intake of breath as she observed Rey, who looked a bit out of place in a dress, but nonetheless stunning. It was dark blue, color matching Kai’s sash, with silver linings, and she looked like an absolute goddess.
“Don’t forget to breathe, sister,” Chenwick quipped into her ear, and Kai shot him an annoyed look, but composed herself, smiling softly at Rey, who returned the gesture.
“Shall we?” she offered, and the others nodded and followed after her slowly.
The night had been going fairly well, Poe and Finn dancing together jovially, dragging Rey along with them as Kai mingled with the guests, making sure to greet each and every one of them individually.
For as much as she pretended she was having a bad time, Rey was actually enjoying herself. Her favorite dancing partners were the twins, who looked odd in their formal attire and matching golden cloaks. They liked grabbing one of her hands each and spinning in circles, giggling with one another.
“Wanna grab a drink?” Poe suggested and Rey, out of breath from dancing with the balls of energy, nodded. Finn joined them as they made their way to the refreshments table, and a black gloved hand reached for a cup at the same time her’s did.
Her shoulders tensed instinctively as she looked up and directly into the dark eyes of a smirking Kylo Ren. She could feel Finn bristling behind her, but Poe had frozen.
“Ben!?” She turned to him, gaze confused, and Kylo Ren stiffened at the name.
“You know him?” she asked harshly, and Poe gaped.
“Yeah, that’s little Benji Solo!” he said excitedly, “Wow! It’s been forever! Last time I saw him, he was probably the same height as the twins…” Poe trailed off when he took note of the tension.
“I do not know this Ben Solo you speak of,” Kylo ground out, eyes narrowed, “you would do well to forget him.” Poe looked beyond lost at this point, but his eyes widened in understanding when a cloaked ginger man walked up behind Kylo and placed his hand placatingly on his shoulder.
“Ah, rebels,” General Hux said smoothly, “I see you’ve been introduced to my date for the night, Kylo Ren.”
“Unfortunately,” Rey bit back, and the general raised an eyebrow coyly at her.
“Tsk tsk, girl,” he said patronizingly, “one would think you’re trying to provoke a fight.” Biting her tongue and taking a deep breath, Rey steeled a harsh glare at him.
“Of course not, General,” she responded, “just trying to get a drink.”
“A drink?” Hux laughed. “Tired already? Nonsense. Why don’t you dance with Kylo here for a moment while I enlighten your friend about a few things.” Before Rey could take the time to process what had been said, Kylo’s hand was on her waist, and he was leading her onto the dance floor.
“What do you want, Ren,” she hissed at him as they twirled through the ballroom. He simply smirked at her, continuing to dance.
“Merely to dance,” he mocked, “what makes you believe I’d want anything else?”
“You’ve got a lot of gall,” she shot back, “to dance with someone you mind raped.” He frowned at her softly, shaking his head as though she were a child with much to learn.
“I was simply trying to broaden your mental horizons.”
“Yeah, well, your attempts were not appreciated,” it was taking all of Rey’s patience and willpower to not deck Kylo Ren in the face at that moment. “How’d you manage to snag an invite to this ball anyways? I can’t imagine Queen Trios welcoming the man who slaughtered her granddaughter into her home.” Kylo smiled cruelly.
“Ah, so little La Kai told you about that, did she? She definitely wasn’t pleased with me when we danced.” Rey bristled at the mere thought of Kylo Ren with his greasy little hands on Kai’s waist. “As for your question, my acquaintance Prince Plutoric was kind enough to invite my partner, General Hux, and I got to be the plus one.” He leaned close to Rey’s ear, lowering his voice to a whisper.
“Tell me, Jedi, how fares my mother? I can’t imagine she’s recovered well.” Blind fury rose from deep within Rey, and she glared harshly at the man smirking at her.
“Oh, she’s doing well enough for someone whose son murdered his own father,” Rey bit back, “you really are a soulless monster.” Before he had a chance to retort, there was a hand tapping at his shoulder.
“Mind if I cut in?” It was posed more as a statement than a question, voice cold and demanding, trying to get across that he would let her cut in, and Rey sighed in relief as Ren’s arms were peeled off of her, only to be replaced by the much more welcomed grip of Kai.
“Thanks for rescuing me,” Rey whispered as she looked thankfully into Kai’s shining blue eyes, “I was about ready to punch him.” Kai tilted her mouth into a half-smile.
“Trust me, I was almost there, too,” she responded, “I wouldn’t wish his company onto my worst enemy, the urchin.” She shuddered. “Besides, dancing with you is no hardship at all, Rey.” Here, she twirled the jedi, who threw her head back in laughter as Kai snapped her back to her chest.
“You aren’t too shabby yourself,” Rey chuckled, “much more coordinated than the twins.”
“I knew I shouldn’t have let you meet them,” Kai sighed dramatically, “little ladykillers, always trying to steal the girls.”
“Oh?” teased Rey, “You Shutoracs, all birds of a feather. Horrible flirts.”
“Is it working?” asked Kai wish a raised eyebrow, and Rey, suddenly feeling bold, winked at the other girl, who visibly gulped.
“I guess you’ll just have to see.” The two continued to dance, drifting closer and closer to one another as the soft melody of the music drifted into their ears, neither of them aware of much more than the other, lost in each other’s eyes. And, before Rey quite knew what she was doing, she was leaning in closer, and closer, and closer until-
Kai’s lips were as soft as she’d imagined them, brushing gently over her own, as though she was the most precious thing in the world, tentative, but so warm and welcoming. Rey could feel her heart thudding in her chest, and she leaned further into the kiss before abruptly snapping back, leaving Kai looking rather bewildered.
“I’m sorry,” Rey whispered, looking utterly mortified, cheeks flushed bright pink, “I have to go.” She rushed off, weaving through the crowd and dashing in the direction of her room, leaving Kai standing there, completely dumbstruck, in the middle of the ballroom.
Chenwick, as he always did, crept up behind his sister, and grinned cheekily at her.
“Wow, Kai, I knew you were revolting, but not that revolting.” Finn, who’d been nearby with Poe, managed to grab Kai around the stomach to prevent her from drop-kicking her younger brother into the sun, the short ginger doubled over in laughter. The ex-stormtrooper made eye contact with Queen Trios from across the hall, where she was perched elegantly on her throne, and hid a smile as the queen rolled her eyes.