It shouldn't be that unusual to hear shouting in a military base, certainly not a couple of days after such an important battle or one that resulted in multiple injuries and broken ships. Afterwards they had celebrated and commiserated in equal measure, but now they had the hard work of repairing their ships and their people. No one had needed rallying, they had readily and instinctively jumped to their duties and what they could help with.

All of which made newly appointed General Poe Dameron quite happy, still not being used to being in charge of so many people, and though sharing the burden with Finn as a joint general helped, it was still a daunting prospect. It made both their lives easier if their people knew what they were doing and got on with it.

Until he heard the shouting, but thankfully that didn't relate to his new rank. "You don't know what I'm feeling!" Rey retorted.

"I would if you talked to me!" Finn shouted back.

Rey set her jaw as she tried not to let the events of the last few days get the better of her control. "You wouldn't understand." She decided, grabbing a tool from the pile at her feet and jumping up to the engine hatch she has been inspecting.

"Try me." Finn challenged.

"Why? It's my business!" Rey snapped, before reining herself back in and turning from her friend.

"We can help. I can help." Finn tried to assure her. "But not if you close us out." Rey ignored him as she fought with a stubborn valve. "You should know by now that bottling up doesn't help!"

Rey screamed in frustration as she finally got the valve open, before dropping back to the ground, dumping the tools she had hold of and stalking off. Finn was about to chase after her but Rose caught his arm. "Let her go, Finn." Finn fought for a moment but Rose was stronger than her short frame made her look, before he finally gave up, shrugged her off and stomped off in a different direction.

"Do I want to know?" Poe asked as he joined Rose.

Rose sighed. "Finn wants to help, he always wants to help. But sometimes he doesn't know how and doesn't know when to drop it." She explained. "I'll keep an eye on him, keep him out of trouble." She added.

"Thanks." Poe meant it, though he wasn't always conscientious enough to remember to say it. He didn't even need to ask the next question, Rose just pointed in the direction Rey had left in.

"Just don't do any more damage?" Rose pleaded. Poe offered her a wry grin and squeezed her shoulder before heading to catch up with his friend.

It was a weird turn about, usually it was him who Rey was engaged in a shouting match with. Finn - despite his history as a storm trooper - was the one with the big heart, he wanted to help and fix everyone. Poe was the grumpy old sod, rather than tell people he was worried about them he'd shout at them for being reckless. He knew better than to let people in, that was how people got hurt. Or as Zorii would say; trust gives people the opportunity to shoot you in the back.

He found Rey halfway up a steep incline, sat on a ledge staring into the distance as she rested her hands on her knees. He frowned to himself, normally he wouldn't have a problem joining her, except that his arm was still slung up because of his blaster wound. Rey had offered to heal it, but he had declined as they didn't have time and she couldn't spare the energy. He'd be able to cope on medpacs and stims. However, Poe was nothing if not stubborn, and so after analysing the various foot and hand holds and potential paths, he worked out a way to join her, grunting with effort and pain as he tried not to let on.

He was halfway up when he heard a reluctant giggle, and chanced a look at Rey who had turned to see what was making that noise. He almost forgot to hold on as he saw the amusement on her face, tinged with hopelessness at his reluctance to just ask for help. "I got this!" He promised, quickly reaffirming the grip of his good hand. Rey said nothing but continued to watch him work his way up until he joined her at the ledge. He was a little surprised that she hadn't just used the force to either pull him up or push him down.

They sat in silence for a while until Rey sighed. "Did Rose or Finn tell you to check up on me?"

Poe gave a wry chuckle. "I heard the end of the shouting match." He admitted. "Isn't it normally me you shout at?" He teased.

Rey turned away, and pulled her knees under her chin. "I don't want to talk." She stated firmly.

"I'm not here to make you." Poe assured her. "I'm here to let you know that if you want, I'm always here to listen, but I'll never try and make you." He explained and Rey nodded to herself. "But I don't think you should be alone right now."

Rey scoffed as if to ask what he'd know about it, but she didn't tell him to leave. They just sat there together on that ledge until finally Rey couldn't hold back her tears any more, and buried her face in her knees. She had already cried, she had picked up Ben's robes after he became one with the Force and buried her face in as she cried in grief until she had found the strength to stand again. Since climbing back into her x-wing she had had so much else to grieve for, to hold on for, that she hadn't had any more time to grieve for the partnership she'd lost. That connection that had bound them, at first as enemies, then as allies. Even when he had been trying to draw her to the dark side, she had still felt a kinship with him, had tried to pull him back to the light. They had both given and taken as much from the other in their ordeal, when she had awoken in his arms after defeating Palpatine she had never felt like she belonged as much as she did right then, there was no one she had ever been as close to, no one who knew her or she knew so well, it felt right. She hadn't wanted it to be anyone else. But he had had to give too much of his own essence to save her, and it had broken her heart.

Poe sighed to himself as she cried, she had given them an official report on what happened, but it had been light on details. They knew Kylo Ren had saved her life, but beyond that she hadn't given any further details of his involvement. But based on what he knew of their journey, and what she was refusing to say, he could guess. But Poe didn't need to know, all he needed to know was that she was hurting, and he shuffled closer to her so he could wrap his good arm around her shoulders, the only thing he could do to try and comfort her.