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WHO: Kylo Ren and YOU
WHAT: Day to day life; includes some training in the gallows, exploring Kirkwall and such
WHEN: Throughout the remainder of April/Cloudreach 9:44
WHERE: Gallows, Kirkwall, etc
NOTES: Nothing of note but I'll update if that changes

Gallows

With his lightsaber in hand, Kylo can be found training rigorously in various forms. He's careful to practice at a distance from anyone else, should they get too close. Starting his training, feet planted firmly and hand holding his weapon out as if to point it at an unseen target, he swings and swirls the lightsaber in his hands in fluid motions. Each time he avoids hitting the dummy directly, occasionally stopping his blade on either side of the target. The last thing he wanted to do every time he trained was to break a training dummy.

He focuses on more than just his blade work, however, practicing his breathing, the bend of his knees as he strikes, and keeping his body a firm immovable object against his opponent. Eventually he takes a break, brushing his messy shock of black hair from his eyes and shrugging his shoulders, the glowing red light withdrawn into the hilt once more.

During his point of resting, he stretches his arms, reaching down to his toes or crossing them one over the other to loosen each muscle. The rigors of training gave him something to channel his energy into, finding focus in his thoughts through the effort he expends with his blade.

Kirkwall

Having washed the sweat and grime from training away, Kylo can be found exploring the markets and other points of interest within Kirkwall. Lowtown was bustling with life as he browsed the Market District, winding streets drawing his attention now and again as he went from shop to shop. It was far from home, but it was starting to feel as such once the routine had set in.

Stopping at a food stall, Kylo turns over a piece of fruit with a careful gaze as he examines it for any flaws. Eventually he would make his way towards the the next shop, stopping to see the wares that Lowtown had to offer.

Wildcard

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She catches that thought and bites back another smile, considering reaching out to take his hand, but they're close enough to the shop that she wouldn't have been holding it long anyway. Just the fact that he'd thought about it though, fills her with a warmth and makes her walk a little lighter.

Ducking into the shop that's filled from floor to ceiling with clutter Rey hums in response to his question, turning off to the side with a practiced motion.

"I'm still working on a few things for the Obstacle course, but I never know when I'll find something new." She's always on the look-out for things to occupy her time.

Their bond worked both ways, of course. He knows that she knows and feeling her emotions lift in response only serves to make the tips of his ears flush in embarrassment. While he doesn't take her hand, he does stay close to her until they reach the shop.

"Ah. I could probably help if you need it." It didn't seem to matter what he did. He wanted to spend time with her. Eventually, when they find themselves browsing their first stop, his hand moves to her lower back in concession to their earlier thoughts bouncing between them. It wasn't her hand but it was still intimate enough for him.

"I'd like that a lot," she replies to his offer, smiling as she glances at him. The thought of him working with her on one of her projects, not just the obstacle course, it's nice. She's so used to doing things on her own, but opening up these parts of her life to others, to him, specifically... She could get used to it.

The hand on her lower back surprises her a little as she navigates around piles of junk, but she doesn't brush him off. Rather she purses her lips, trying not to smile and only half succeeding.

"Good. I don't want to get in your way." He'd been grasping for something to say, glad that she still smiled at him and glad that she was just as happy to spend time with him as he was with her. He knew that she had gotten as used to solitude as he had. It seemed that much more important to cast that part of their lives aside because they didn't have to be alone anymore.

Absently his hand lays flat to her back before curling his fingers and withdrawing again but not before those knuckles brush up her spine an inch. The last thing he wanted was to be inappropriate while they were out in public. He doesn't miss her trying not to smile and it only makes him struggle not to smile as well.

Instead he focuses on picking up a piece of scrap metal to turn over in his hands - it wasn't anything special but it kept his mind from staying completely on her. Every so often his gaze lifts to her again, watching as she inspects different wares. Just the sight of her was enough to stop his breath for a second. He couldn't understand why she had chosen him, even as it was clear to him why he should choose her every time.

This girl who he'd discarded so easily as just some scavenger who got under his skin was so much more. He'd woken that morning marveling at her warmth, the way her hair smelled and her even breaths as she slept, and now he was marveling that it was him she smiled for. It was disarming and radiant, just as she carried herself naturally. He couldn't help but watch her, having these thoughts filter through his mind. It made him want to touch her again, just to see her look up at him again.

There was also a darker part of his thoughts that drifted to the previous evening's activities, how close he'd gotten to pushing things if he'd just - but he pushes that right out of his head as it comes. He wouldn't push for more than this. It was simple and more than he deserved.

Rey's shoulders bunch when he runs his knuckles up her spine that little bit, the tingle running all the way up her back. She gives him a glance before moving away as he looks at things, her own browsing moving in to her carefully scanning things for value.

Or, ordinarily, this would be the only task she'd be focusing on. But his thoughts keep invading her mind, making her blush as she picks up a dusty old hand mirror, catching her reflection as he's thinking about touching her. She doesn't entirely know what he sees in her, even when his thoughts are drifting into her mind unbidden.

She inhales sharply as his thoughts get darker, as fleeting as they are, and she puts the mirror back, turning around to look at him, eyebrows raised. She won't say anything, but the words form clear in her mind. You're thinking too loud.

There's no denying the flush on her face, though, the thoughts not wholly unwelcome just, more than she can handle at the moment. She's overwhelmed by the prospect of someone who desires her.

"I think I'm done looking here, if you are," she says, a little too blithely as she moves back towards him, her hands tucked into the pockets of her cloak.

He sucks in a breath as her thoughts answer him and for a moment he fears that she might be angry at him. If he could just shut off this back and forth exchange of thoughts he would. He liked having his thoughts be his own and not being able to made him over think each and every one of them.

He drops the piece of metal he had supposed to have been turning over in his hands as if he's been burned by it, looking up at her with guilt and hesitance. She might not sound angry but he only needed to look into her thoughts to find out.

"I-sorry-yes." He couldn't even stammer out complete sentences as he realizes he's been caught. I'm sorry, he thinks again, hoping she'll hear it. He sees the flush in her cheeks and, as much as it pleased him, worries that he's overstepped without meaning to. Without her hands to reach for he can only shove his own into his pockets as well as he tries not to feel so guilty.

Edited 2018-04-22 03:48 (UTC)

There's something endearing about seeing the nefarious Kylo Ren stammering and looking guilty in front of her. She even feels a little guilty herself, because she knows he should be allowed to think what he wants to think in his own mind. Especially after he's been denied that for so long.

Taking pity on him she pulls one hand out of her pocket, wrapping it around his arm so she can guide him out of the store and back onto the street. She keeps her arm tucked in his even as they walk, as much to show him that she's forgiven him as to indulge herself a little.

"You shouldn't have to censor your thoughts, maybe we can work on shielding things from each other, without... closing everything off." She doesn't know how that would work, but she knows they have time to try to figure it out.

"You aren't the one who went too far. I don't have to worry about your thoughts." Or did he? Thus far hers are innocent by comparison and he's had to remember that he honestly doesn't know what he's doing despite his thoughts. They had been fumbling around the night before, neither of them sure of where any of this was headed even if he entertained thoughts.

"And I don't mind you knowing how I feel." He stopped walking long enough to hold her in place, his hand resting over hers where she held his arm. The look he gave her was one of intense want to be understood, to know that she felt the same even. Wherever this was going, he wanted to walk the path with her, not racing miles ahead at his own pace.

"If I need to... think about something else, I'll try to." The last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable.

This is such an awkward conversation to be having in public, and the embarrassment is clear on Rey's face, as she struggles to meet his gaze. She does like things being so open between them, it makes it clear where they stand at any given moment. It's not something she's used to. She's also not used to being wanted in such a way, or in wanting someone else in that way.

"I don't mind," she says quietly, the blush in her cheeks deepening as she looks up at him. "I like knowing how you feel. I like you knowing how I feel."

Already he was mentally kicking himself for stopping her. If anyone over heard - but he couldn't worry about that. He let her hand go, letting her hold onto his arm if she wished. He guides them off to the side, hopefully away from prying eyes or listening ears.

"Sorry. I'm not good at turning my thoughts off with you. It was easy when it was Snoke lurking in my head, always there, but with you... I don't feel like I have this weight lurking in the back of my head, waiting to use my thoughts against me. My thoughts are my own. Even when sometimes you might hear them." And it was so freeing that he had apparently forgotten how to control them. He ducks his head a bit, equally embarrassed as she is.

"I'll do better, I promise." They had talked about what their connection would mean, how they could control it, once before. He didn't want it to eventually become a problem. The fact that she says she doesn't mind how he feels is enough to lift the weight from his shoulders, but he didn't want to abuse the trust she had in him.

She does keep hold of his arm as he leads them off to the side, grateful that he thought of it before continuing the conversation. She knows what people think of those who can read minds, and while that isn't exactly what Rey and Ben do, anyone overhearing their conversation would likely take them for blood mages.

That she isn't unconsciously reminding him of Snoke with her presence in his mind is a relief, she had genuinely been worried about the possibility that he felt just as trapped as before. She reaches up and touches his face lightly, moving so she's closer to him.

"I know this is new for both of us. But if it's ever too much... let me know. This is only going to work if we're honest with each other."

He shares the same worries, of course. He's never seen a blood mage but the fact that they could be confused for them isn't lost on him. Which is why he glances anxiously for a brief second over her head at the crowd that passes them while they talk. Her touch brings him back and he bites his lip, a nervous habit while his thoughts turned over and over.

"I will." He gives in, reaching to brush his knuckles along her cheek. "Let's keep going?"

Or he could stay here just looking at her. That was nice too.

She smiles, leaning her head into his touch, nodding her head. Her hand drops from his face, moving to take his hand in hers as she turns back to the street.

"Is there anything you haven't seen you'd like to? Or anything you need?" She's happy to direct the outing, but she doesn't want to make him feel like she's just dragging him around to places that she wants to go to.

"No, but... maybe there?" It was a frivolous thought, when it came. He'd walked by the merchant before. They sold sea glass fragments and other useless trinkets. Nothing Rey would probably be interested in, and yet he wanted this one thing.

He holds her hand, steady in his, and leads the two of them to the little stall, the merchant immediately stepping aside to let them look once he's nodded to them. He saw it almost immediately - a simple bracelet made of sea glass and a strip of leather. The color reminded him of the ocean and he hoped it would remind her of her dreams of the island that had given her such peace. Reaching for it, passing money to the merchant before he does, he holds it up to her to indicate wanting to put it on her wrist.

"I thought since you gave me this... that you might like the gesture." He places his hand to the necklace she'd given him as he speaks, giving her a look of complete sincerity that might have looked a bit too serious and disarming to someone not used to him. He wanted to make her happy, even if it was with something as simple as this.

Edited 2018-04-23 05:02 (UTC)

Rey follows along as he leads them to the stall, curious what had caught his eye. She sometimes stops and looks at things that jewelers sell, as well as trinkets like these, but she almost never buys anything. Aside from the pendant she now wears around her neck and the leather wristband she's worn for years, she's never worn much jewelry. It's not that she doesn't find beauty in such things, just she can't quite justify it.

When he purchases the bracelet and then holds it up she's not quite sure how to react.

"Ben... you didn't need to buy me a gift." She's so used to her practical lifestyle that the concept of people giving her things because they like her is still weird to her, even if she's gotten comfortable with getting things for others.

Still, she holds her hand out for him, a slight smile touching her lips.

"Before... all of this - gifts weren't exactly top of my list. People weren't. But when I think of you I just want to be different. Or try. I feel like I forgot what it felt like to feel connected to someone." And then the Force had ripped that all out from under the both of them. This place only made it more obvious how misplaced some of his views had been. He had lived for Snoke for so long that he forgot who Ben Solo was. He hadn't wanted to remember.

"My-" He falls quiet, feeling as if the words are stuck in his throat like a rock, forcing himself to continue, "My father used to do little things like this. Bring me or my mother things when he'd go away for a while. You made me remember that." It had been a poor substitute, but in those early years he remembered being happy, remembered clinging onto every bit of affection, every toy or game, his father would give him. He'd wanted so badly to be like him. Somehow it had all gotten muddled up in other feelings.

"And this- it looks like it came from the sea and I remembered that feeling you had when you would see the island in your head and I wanted to give you a little piece of that. Even if I don't always give you that same feeling." His fingers wrap around her arm as he secures the bracelet, thumb rubbing circles in her skin once it's there. Gifts were a poor substitute for people but he wanted her to think of him whenever she looked at this.

This is the first time she's really heard him talk of Han since she'd angrily asked him why he'd hated him. They'd had a few brief conversations touching on parents, and more than a few about Snoke, but the subject of Han... It makes her heart ache for Ben and fills her with rage in the same heartbeat. It's something she'll struggle with, that he could kill his own father. Even though her parents had left her, sold her, she didn't think she could do such a thing.

Her fingers trace over the sea glass piece of the bracelet as he speaks of the island in her head. The island that she knows now was Ahch-To. She had been dreaming of that place for as long as she could remember, had thought it some beautiful land once, that she had surely come from and that her parents would one day take her back to.

Exhaling, her emotions a whirl of melancholy that he likely hadn't been trying to evoke, her fingers continue down her arm to take his, gently pulling her arm away from them and taking hold of his hand.

"Thank you. It's beautiful."

Edited 2018-04-23 22:55 (UTC)

He can feel the dissonance in her emotions swirling between anger and then melancholy. He knows it isn't entirely directed at him when she takes his hand and he nods in understanding. What he's done can't be undone and he won't deny her anger for it. He couldn't change the past but he could keep taking steps toward the future he wanted.

"You're welcome." He squeezes her hand lightly, looking upon her with reverence once his gaze lifts from the bracelet she now wears. His own melancholy beat like a steady pulse between them. He can't change what he's done in the past but he could make this flourish between them in whatever way he knows how.

He can't make up for any of his misdeeds but he can bask in her presence, like the selfish and greedy creature he is - full of desire for her and for it to be returned. Something as small as this made him feel as if he'd taken a step closer to her and the thought both exhilarated him and terrified him.

"We should move on... if you want to." He planned to follow her wherever she wanted to go. They could stop back and look at those pieces of scrap and junk again or eat or just walk together, taking in the sights.

She nods her head, giving him a soft smile as she pulls away, keeping his hand as she turns, starting down towards the docks.

"Let's go walk somewhere a little less crowded." They might stand out less, be able to talk a little more freely. She can feel her mood affecting his and feels a little guilty for that, because most of it isn't his fault. She does appreciate the bracelet, but talking of the island had brought up a lot of feelings that had followed her from there.

He follows even without her hand to lead him. His thumb brushes over the back of her hand every so often as they walk together and he takes in the sights, the smell of the water wafting up as they near the docks.

Most importantly, he watches her. Her hand was dwarfed by his yet her hold on him was no less strong. He can feel the guilt through their connection and he wants to soothe it, to reassure her that he is well aware of his mistakes and accepts them. Just as he needed to come to accept that when they leave this place - if they do - they'll be on opposite sides again.

He won't dwell on it. She's here now and hadn't left long before he got here too. He could feel himself wanting to stay, wanting to forget the life he'd built back home and his mistakes along with it.

"If I'd known the island wasn't a happy place for you, I would have thought better about the bracelet. The last time I saw it, I only knew it was somewhere you wanted to be besides Jakku." He remarks, though it's without any real regret in his tone. He only goes by what glimpses of her thoughts and feelings he has through the Force.

"It's not that the island wasn't a happy place. It used to be. In some ways, it still is." It's difficult to explain, she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth as they walk, looking down at the bracelet on her wrist.

"It was where Luke was. Where I was, every time we connected through the Force." Except for the last time, anyway. She looks up at him, squeezing his hand gently. "I do like this bracelet. It'll remind me of you." Something broken and worn down, but still beautiful.

"The Force was pulling you towards him before you knew he was even there." Or perhaps not. Perhaps it was something about that place. He remembered, when he'd been young and unsure of his destiny, Luke's desire to find artifacts as he and the rest of the students had learned from him. The search had often taken them to far off places, places he hadn't seen in some time. Perhaps this had been one of them. Yet it still didn't explain why she saw that place.

"So now we've both given each other something to tie us together." His necklace hadn't left his throat since she'd given it to him. He'd probably never take it off, an unspoken affirmation of his devotion to her.

She doesn't say anything in response to his observation that the Force had been pulling her towards Luke, because she doesn't know if that's correct. Maybe, but if the Force had wanted her to encounter the old Jedi, it was likely so that she could see plainly that things needed to change. That the Jedi that he had tried to revive could never be revived the way he wanted them to be.

Smiling a little she turns as they walk, taking his other hand and walking backwards. She trusts him and the Force to keep her from tripping over anything or running into anyone.

"We were already tied together."

He keeps a careful watch on her steps and on their surroundings. If she so much as stumbles he would catch her in a heartbeat. Still, having her face him is captivating. Her smile is like sunlight and the confidence she has that he won't let her fall warms him inside and out.

Playfully, he tugs her towards him, catching her by the waist as he dips his chin, his nose brushing just above her brow and his lips brushing over her temple. He smiles too, though his smiles are never quite as instant and forthcoming as hers. He always smiled with a hesitance, as if he was still unsure if he remembered how or was even allowed to show such emotion.

"Maybe I like the idea being able to make others guess where you got such a gift, why we both have the same necklaces." He won't say specifics but he knows the pilot is here in the city as well. He wouldn't hesitate to admit he got a smug satisfaction from the idea that the pilot might question, that others who knew her might question. It was like a secret they shared, just as their bond had been, and he felt prideful in keeping it just between them. To have little stolen moments like this to savor between the two of them made him feel greedy and wanting.

She lets out a little yelp as he pulls her towards him, surprise rather than alarm, her hands moving to brace herself against his chest as he brushes his lips against her temple. Leaning into him she smiles a little wider at his words, that smug satisfaction hanging in the air around him. It's strange, but she kind of enjoyed this too, that they were somehow together but the only two really aware of it. But she knows she this isn't all she wants, stolen moments together. There's no reason for it, really.

"Oh, are we not telling people we're... whatever we are?" The terminology is something she isn't sure of. Dating almost seems too casual, but lovers is too much. She shifts, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning into him, turning her head so her cheek is pressed against his breastbone.

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