Zorii shook her head when Poe made a gesture
she only could interpret as an offer to continue where they had left.
How could he dare to ask? Too much had happened. She was still in a
mess because of his actions years ago. Before he left the crew and
joined the Resistance. Now the spice smuggler had mutated to a war
hero. But for Zorii this hadn't changed anything. She walked away from
those celebrating the victory over Palpatine's fleet at Exegol and
settled down at a tree.
She drew her blaster when she heard footfalls. Poe gave her a lopsided
grin. "Still this fast with a blaster, Zorii?" She opened her helmet's
visor and glared at him. "Better safe than sorry, Poe. You had a lot of
guts asking for a kiss on Kijimi after what you pulled off before
joining the Resistance. Do you have any idea what happened after you
left?”
Dameron shook his head staring at the blaster muzzle still pointed at
him. “Care to set this thing aside, Zorii? It makes me
nervous somehow.”
The spice smuggler chuckled and holstered her weapon. Poe breathed a
sigh of relief and pointed at a place at Zorii’s side.
“May I sit?”
Zorii Bliss shook her head. “You can sit opposite of me,
Dameron.”
Poe raised an eyebrow. “Dameron? There was a time where you
had other names for me.”
The woman removed her helmet and scowled. “It was when I
didn’t know that you would leave me to follow an idealistic
crusade.”
“Idealistic crusade? I wouldn’t call it this,
Zorii.” The Resistance pilot settled down opposite of the
woman. “I thought you dead after I learned about the
annihilation of Kijimi.”
Zorii played with a strand of her blond hair. “I
wasn’t there.”
Dameron nodded thoughtfully and stretched his legs while folding his
arms in front of his chest before he leaned back at the tree he was
sitting in front of. “I didn’t like the thought
that you died in the inferno caused by the Destroyer.”
She looked in his eyes. “You hadn’t cared what
happens to me when you left the crew.”
“This was another case, Zorii. For me it was the right thing
to do; like it was for my parents to join the Rebellion decades ago.
You know me. I was always unable to stand injustice.”
“I know, Poe,” the woman said smiling at Dameron
who registered the subtle change in Zorii’s behavior. The
pilot smiled back at her and moved a bit closer.
“It’s the same with you. I realized this when you
spoke about the children the First Order pressed in service back at
Kijimi. I know you have a good heart. If not, you wouldn’t
have come with this ragtag fleet to our aid along with General
Calrissian. We know each other so well.” This time it was
Zorii Bliss who moved closer while Poe Dameron was speaking, closing
the gap between them. She took his hand smiling. The pilot’s
heart skipped a beat.
“The galaxy is about to make a fresh start,” the
spice smuggler hesitated the fraction of a second before continuing.
“What about us? Do you think it’s possible for us
as well, flyboy?”
Dameron put an arm around Zorii’s shoulder before answering.
“We can give it a try.”
