The look she gave Luke when he claimed not to be known for his conversation was a perplexed one. Who was? Probably only people who talked too much, or about things that were irrelevant, or other negative aspects of conversations. She'd met chatterboxes before. They had a reputation for being just that, and she'd made it a point to avoid them whenever she caught sight of them at the outpost.

But then he picked up an egg and asked about Leia, and Rey heard it. The way he said her name-... no one's ever said her name that way, and she doubted anyone ever will. As far as she knew, she was no one's sister, after all. And she was certainly no Leia Organa.

"She's... the strongest person I've ever met." Not one of the strongest people, or the strongest woman; Leia was the strongest person Rey had ever met, period. The low, respectful way she spoke was proof enough of that.

"She's so dignified, but not in an uncomfortable way. You could talk to her. She encourages it, even if she won't shy away from telling you what you'd just said was stupid. But even when she's doing that, she's not being malicious. She's just being... Leia."

She thought about the very brief interactions she'd seen between her and Han, but her heart threatened to break, and so she cleared her throat and continued walking along as though her rib cage didn't suddenly feel several sizes too tight.

"Was she always like that? Even when she was a princess?"