General
The path up Dee'ja Peak was as quiet as he could have hoped for. Mist clung to the edges of the cliffs, rolling like soft blankets of silk down into the ravines below. Cassian had gone out before dawn, while the streets of Theed were still hushed, and carried with him the weight of a satchel packed with far more care than any intelligence file or coded datapad. It felt… strange, almost, to prepare not for strategy or shadows, but for a simple meal in the open air.
He laid the blanket down on a sloping patch of green that overlooked the falls, their thunder softened by distance, their spray rising as if the mountain itself breathed. He set out the little things one by one: a loaf of warm bread wrapped in cloth, Naboo cheese pressed and cured to perfection, small slices of nerf steak, berry preserves he'd bartered for in the city, and even a flask of spiced blossom tea still hot from the palace kitchens. Each piece was arranged with more thought than he would ever admit, meant to look effortless, meant to let the two of them arrive and find a place already waiting for them. More than enough for them to enjoy for several hours.
The sound of approaching steps broke through the rhythm of the falls, and Cassian rose, brushing his palms against his trousers. Sibylla's voice came first, light and curious, with Elian's laugh echoing right behind it. When they turned the last bend in the trail and saw him standing there, blanket spread, food ready, the look that crossed their faces was worth every careful moment.
For once, Cassian didn't speak first. He only gave a small, almost boyish smile, letting the mountain wind pull at his jacket and carry away the weight of a thousand reports and sleepless nights. His eyes lingered on Sibylla, the surprise softening into something warm, something only she could draw out of him. And then Elian, who already seemed ready to tumble forward onto the blanket without ceremony, laughter bright as the spray of the falls.
"I thought," Cassian said at last, voice quieter than the cascade behind him, "We could use a moment away from walls and whispers. Just us. Just this." He gestured to the spread, to the endless view where the world seemed larger than their troubles.
As they came closer, settling onto the blanket, he felt the edges of himself loosen, the parts always clenched in anticipation of danger or betrayal finding a rare release. Dee'ja Peak had always been a place of memory for Naboo, a place where stone and water spoke of endurance. Sharing it with them, Sibylla with her unwavering strength, Elian with his boundless spirit, made it feel less like a secret lookout and more like a promise. For once, Cassian allowed himself not to calculate the next move. He simply sat with them, bread breaking in his hands, the taste of berries on his tongue, and the soft murmur of their voices threading into the roar of the falls. A rare thing, he thought, as he leaned back on his palms and looked up into a sky washed clear: a day where the galaxy could wait.
******
Elian couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Cassian smile like that, not the clipped kind that passed for polite in meetings, but a real one, warm and unguarded. It caught him off guard, that gentleness. For a second, he almost forgot to breathe, watching how the mist curled behind him and made the man look like he belonged there, part of the mountain itself.
"Brother, this look about you....I like it. Try not to lose it. Why do you say Sibylla, he looks like he's glowing?"
He sank cross-legged onto the blanket, brushing a few stray blades of grass off his trousers. The air smelled clean up here, wet stone, wildflowers, a hint of the tea Cassian had brought. It wasn't the sort of thing Elian usually noticed, but something about the quiet made every detail stand out sharper. The falls rumbled in the distance, steady as a heartbeat.
