A short twist of a stiff handle caused the torrent of water to come to a stop, with only a few droplets leaking down from the head of the sonic shower. A short break in the refresher may have been something entirely mundane, but it gave Leia a certain solace, with the din caused by the pattering water and the sensation of it rolling over her body almost isolating her from any worry. However, she knew it couldn't last forever, she stepped out of the cramped sonic shower and padded over to a rack that held a couple of preheated towels.
The Princess wrapped one across her chest and used the other to dry out her flowing brunette hair. She stepped out and made her way back to the room she struggled to describe as living quarters, just catching sight of a brown blur returning to the cockpit. With the anxiety of the mission ahead building, Chewbacca had used the maintenance of the Falcon's long neglected systems to distract himself, not that Leia could blame him.
Leia sighed as she watched the twin suns of Tatooine dip below the sand covered horizon, the blinding golden light morphed into an orange twilight. All she knew of the desert planet was from the stories of Luke's childhood, little of it made Tatooine seem like a desirable destination for anyone not involved with criminal ventures. Aside from the small settlements and spaceports dotted around the planet's unforgiving surface, Tatooine was a true wasteland, rivalling even Jakku.
The Princess sat in her quarters aboard the Falcon, plotting out her role in the plan Luke had thought up to retrieve Han from the clutches out Jabba the Hutt, ensuring that she had everything memorized. But as much as she prepared for the plan that would finally be carried out by the morning, Leia still held deep reservations. As much as she respected Luke, especially with his recent attainment of the rank of Jedi Knight, she couldn't help but dwell on the multitude of ways the plan could unravel, especially when the plan required three different stages for it to work. Failure wasn't an option, not only would it result in Han's continued imprisonment, but Leia didn't dare to think of what would become of her if she became a captive of the Hutt.
Though she missed having the roguish presence of Han around, with the Falcon not quite feeling the same without him, Leia knew his capture affected Chewbacca far more heavily. Even from the first time she met the pair during their daring assault on the Death Star she could tell they were as thick as thieves, sharing a camaraderie that made it clear just how close they were. Despite Lando quickly filling in the gap aboard the ship left behind by Han, it was clear the Wookie still held some resentment over the betrayal that had taken place on Bespin.
With Lando going ahead to infiltrate the Palace and Luke and the droids all in place, it left Leia alone with Chewie, preparing for a final night's sleep before donning their disguises and heading off. The costume she and Chewbacca had claimed from an incapacitated Boushh would help them enter the Palace unimpeded, with the baggy overalls just about capable of hiding Leia's slender form.
The Falcon itself was far below the standard of accommodation Leia had grown accustomed to growing up, spoiled by the lap of luxury that came with being the future monarch of a thriving planet. But close to two years of dedicating herself to the rebellion had humbled her. When it was a necessity for survival to pick up and quickly leave a rapidly erected base once the Empire became aware of their location, Leia soon learned to he thankful for anywhere she could peacefully lay her head down.
She sat down on her narrow cot and picked up a brush from the small bag of personal items she had brought aboard, but a lack of time to prepare before setting course for the desert world meant she had little to nothing in terms of a change in clothing. What little clothing she did bring was rendered unbearable to wear thanks to both the intense heat of Tatooine, and a faulty air conditioner that just barely kept the temperature on board at a reasonable level.
The room itself wouldn't have been her ideal choice of places to use as a bedroom, especially with the knowledge in mind of it once being host to Han's various sexual conquests over the years. A small closet -- left completely open due to a malfunctioning door that hadn't been repaired in a decade -- contained items belonging to various women, from club gowns to reasonably expensive sets of lingerie. Leia did her best to not conjure up images of the women wearing such clothing for Han. Where she once would have judged women for wearing such risqué clothing, she couldn't deny that they possessed a certain allure that always seemed to capture the eyes of men.
With every sweep of the brush through her luxuriant hair, Leia's thoughts meandered. She thought of Chewbacca, how he was doing his best to cope with the situation that laid ahead of them. The Wookie had built an enduring friendship with Han ever since the pair had escaped the swampy depths of Mimban, lasting well over a decade since then. Though Leia missed the former smuggler, she couldn't imagine the full impact it had on Chewbacca.
She dropped the brush back down into the bag, unable to get the thought of a lonely Chewbacca slaving away in the cockpit to keep himself distracted. Despite her tired state, the idea of leaving her friend on his own at such a time was something she could never forgive herself for doing. Leia stood and walked over to the wardrobe, intent on finding something that resembled a modest outfit. As she had expected, most of the strewn clothing wouldn't look too out of place in a debauched club somewhere in the Outer Rim, each one seemed to be made using the cheapest materials, explaining why their former owners were careless enough to leave them behind.
Unfortunately, her options were limited. With a small pause, Leia reluctantly reached out and picked out a deep blue bodycon dress, which shimmered thanks to a technique that allowed a form of nano-glitter to be imbued into the material of the short dress. It was hardly appropriate as a form of casual wear, especially when the only other person on the Falcon happened to be a rather downtrodden Wookie. But once she pulled it on and smoothed it down, she couldn't help but be thankful for the the amount of skin it left exposed to what little cool air flowed through the worn ventilation system of the old freighter.
Once she caught a glimpse of herself in a less than pristine mirror one of Han's former lovers had left behind, Leia couldn't help but admire how she looked in the dress, as well as how well it hugged her perfect figure. It contrasted perfectly with her cascading hair, which was free from any of her typical elaborate arrangement styles. Never once would she have pictured herself in such a garment, but her life as a rebel had opened her eyes to the wide and exotic nature of the galaxy, allowing her once prudish nature to fall away bit by bit.
Before she reached down to retrieve the boots of her jumpsuit, a flash at the bottom of the wardrobe, more specifically a pair dangerously tall heeled-sandals, which exactly matched the dress she had found herself suddenly enamoured with. Impractical for walking around the vessel, yet she felt herself oddly drawn to them. She reached for them and easily slid her feet in. It was a strange ensemble for the former Princess to wear, but Leia reasoned that anything could go wrong in the day that would follow, a temporary change in wardrobe couldn't possibly hurt. She just hoped that her stark change in style would bring some much needed amusement for Chewie
She departed the small room and sauntered out to the curving halls of the falcon. Crossing the full length of the ship, she eventually reached the narrow neck that led her to the door of the cockpit. Leia lightly knocked on the door and cleared her throat. "Chewie? It's me, I was wondering if you might like some company. Unless you're busy, of course."
Leia smiled as she heard a positive rumble from within, the door slid away and she ducked inside. The multi-paned transparisteel window gave a perfect view of the ever falling light from the suns, but each section of glass was increasingly being coated with a thin layer of sand, adding some credibility to the rumours of a severe sandstorm being on the horizon. She glanced around to take in the sight of various panels and components that had been pulled away and left dangling, giving access to the multitude of internal components hidden within the walls of the cockpit. Just as she had expected, Chewbacca had busied himself with maintenance work. She didn't doubt that the Falcon was in dire need of a real through ship wide update, but the reason behind it couldn't have been healthy for the Wookie.
Leia was broken free from her train of thought by a clattering from beneath the main control console, she spotted his long legs poking out, a tray of tools was within reaching distance. Chewbacca had gone to work replacing the couplings beneath the pilot's section, as a means of ensuring the process for a quick escape would be far easier to achieve.
"Chewie? Are you sure you're not too busy?" Leia asked gently, resting an arm over the rear passenger seat as she leaned in to further inspect his handy work. "I don't want to be a bother, I know how meticulous you can be, even if Han has little patience for it."
Chewbacca gripped the edge of the console and pulled himself free, raising his dust covered head to look at the Princess. Before he could respond to her worry, he was stopped still as he finally caught sight of her. The peculiar look in his dark eyes made Leia feel a touch flustered, making her second guess whether wearing such a daring ensemble was truly a wise decision, wondering if Chewie's response was something beyond mere amusement.
Yet -- though Chewbacca did an admirable job in trying to disguise it -- there was a certain hunger in his gaze. Leia sympathized with him, knowing that his loyalty to Han, as well as his continuing ties with the rebellion had kept his from Kashyyk for a longer period than he had ever experienced in his two centuries, his capture by the Empire had kept him from his wife. She was sure that Chewbacca occasionally managed to have his own opportunities to become intimate with women of other species over the years, but the last two years had been especially difficult for anyone affiliated with the Rebel Alliance. But she couldn't deny that she didn't feel something similar, being a figure to both inspire and lead left little opportunity for Leia to engage in any real form of romantic encounter, even her budding relationship with Han was cut unceremoniously short the moment the imposing figure of Vader appeared once again.
Chewbacca let out a low chatter as he brushed the dust from his fur, pointing at her unusual choice of clothing. To the Wookie, the clothing looked somewhat wrong on the body of such a refined woman, but he certainly couldn't stop himself from gliding his eyes across every curve.
