"Do you really intend to slay us all?" Rey's eyes narrowed sharply at the crouched figure before her.
"Yes. I do," snarled the cloaked figure, gloved hand pressed against the earth, masked face twisting upwards to stare into her eyes.
"Well do it some other time, because we don't have time today!" Rey spun on her heel, marched three steps away, then bent down and plucked a long stem covered in tiny green leaves and purple blossoms. "This is the right one, Kylo! See, the flowers are purple, not blue. The blue ones are poisonous and also happen to taste terrible."
"Well maybe I did that on purpose. Maybe I really am trying to kill you all." There was a sulky growl in the young man's voice as he let the wrong plant fall from his fingers and then folded his arms.
"No you didn't. You just can't see anything behind that mask. Why are you wearing it anyway? We all know what you look like." Rey plucked several more stems and placed them inside the frail, seawood basket on her arm.
"Because I hate picking flowers. They reek of innocence and frailty. I don't want to expose myself to their stench."
Rey blinked at him. Then looked at the tiny collection in her basket. Then looked at Kylo Ren again. "Are you saying that you've tried to pick flowers before?"
A strangled, unintelligible noise burst through the mask's filter. The apprentice of The First Order flapped his hands to indicate a negative, his head weaving from side to side. No other recognizable signal issued from the man, so after a moment of watching him, Rey shrugged and turned away. After a moment, irritable stomping indicated the man was following her.
They headed back along the winding path, up the steep cliff, between the clumps of fluttering shore grasses. They jumped across the wide crack that made one step treacherous, bounced over the crumbly one altogether, and picked their way across the patch that was always slippery with sea spray. The cool, salty breeze tossed Rey's hair in front of her as she climbed. Kylo Ren kept a tight grip on his flowing cape to ensure he did not trip on it.
As the entrance of the cave came into sight, Kylo Ren cleared his throat.
"I really never have picked flowers. This is the truth."
Rey stopped in her tracks and turned to stare at him. The apprentice's hand twitched as her steady gaze met his mask. He was suddenly aware of her piercing brown eyes, the way her hair flew about her face in the breeze, her rather too wide to be considered ideal nose, and her moist, cupid's bow lips. Silence stretched between them. And then, Kylo Ren realized he'd missed a tiny pressure building in his mind. Something was pushing its way into his thoughts. Someone. Hastily he scrambled to push her back out, but it was too late. Rey was smiling.
"Yes, you have. You used to pick bouquets for Leia every time you saw a patch of flowers. One time, you even bought her some for her birthday."
"S-stop doing that!" spluttered the apprentice, stumbling back several steps as though putting physical distance between them would put distance between their minds. "It's not fair!"
"Yes it is! If you can't fight me off, then it's fine because I've won. And when I win I can do whatever I want, right?"
"No, that's not right at all!"
"Oooh that's right. I'm sorry, I'm using your logic. Pardon my mistake. I should have known better than to use your own logic against you."
The triumphantly smug expression on her face was infuriating. Confidence bloomed there that was barely rooted such a short while ago. Fire danced in her eyes as she waited for him to rise to her challenge.
Several possible comebacks sprang to the young man's lips, but her face drowned each and every one of them. Finally, all he said was, "You are a decidedly outrageous woman."
Her expression faltered for just a moment, confused by his lack of fighting spirit. But then the smug look was back. "Well he's waiting on us, so we'd better bring him our innocent and frail flowers."
One benefit of the mask is that she couldn't see the smile that tugged at his lips in the darkness.
As Rey pushed aside the heavy cloth curtain that hung across the cave entrance, a voice chirped from inside. "You're late! How long does it really take to pick just a few flowers? Aren't you hungry? I certainly am. Put them here, Rey."
Kylo followed her, the optics on his mask instantly adjusting to the light difference and allowing him to see. Rey was still blinking and rubbing at the corner of her left eye, semi-blinded by the darkness of the cave.
"Ben. Why are you wearing that mask again?"
Before Kylo Ren even had a chance to swell with anger at being called Ben, Rey was already answering. "Because he hates innocence and fragility."
Words tangled on the young man's tongue as he shot her a withering look. Or else it would have been, if she could see his expression.
"Oh. Well, good thing none of us are fragile or innocent." The old man who owned the calm and upbeat voice turned towards the flowers in the basket.
Kylo Ren realized he'd regained control of his voice when he heard himself spit, "She's still innocent."
To his surprise, Rey's entire body bristled, and her face screwed into a little red ball. "I am not! I've spent my whole life battling for survival! Day in, day out, not knowing if I would live to see the next sunrise! Nobody who's lived under those conditions can ever remain innocent!"
He'd never seen her like this before. Once she was almost this angry, when he first tried to take the map from her mind. But the utter indignation and pink twinge of- what, embarrassment? These things were all new. He stared at her as one does when they discover a new species of sentient life.
"Take that back!" snapped the girl, breaking into his thoughts.
Kylo thought about this for a moment. Then said simply, "No."
"Take it back!" Rey sprang forward, as if she'd shove the words back into his mouth, or failing that, up another bodily orifice.
"Rey, would you taste this for me please?" Suddenly a spoon was shoved in the rampaging girl's path.
She stopped dead, narrowly avoiding splashing hot liquid down the front of her shirt. Her expression muddled, as she shifted out of rage mode into cook mode.
The old man waited patiently while this transition took place.
"Of course," she said finally, taking the spoon from his hand and lifting it to her mouth to sip at cautiously. There was a silence, during which both men watched her roll the soup around in her mouth. Finally, she said "It's good. It could use a little more saltweed."
"Great! Could you go ahead and add it? My taste isn't what it used to be, so I'm not sure how much to add to make it taste right for you."
"Of course," replied the girl, who meekly moved to the counter and began to tear off the thick, heavy leafs of a dried plant that stood in a hollowed out rock.
"And Ben, take off the mask. I'd rather see your face." The old man waggled a finger in the direction of Kylo Ren's nose.
The apprentice sighed, then reached up and pulled off the mask. "Fiiiine… But as soon as I get my ship repaired, I'm leaving for good."
The old man quirked an eyebrow at him. "And this is related to taking off your mask… How exactly?"
"Because I won't listen to anything else you have to say, Uncle Luke." Kylo Ren gave the old man his best, masterful glare. The one he'd practiced in the mirror so if anyone ever caught him with his mask off, he could still scare their pants off.
But Luke just gazed back at him, a touch of sadness drooping the corners of his lips. "Does that mean you don't intend to ever visit me again? After all these years, you don't want to come back?"
Kylo Ren hesitated. He could feel Rey's stare boring into the back of his head. An odd, frustrated tightness rose in his chest. He took a deep breath in an attempt to dispel it. "W-well… I…" He paused again, unable to make eye contact with the deep blue eyes of the old Jedi knight. "Well… The soup is probably ready so we'd better hurry and eat it while it's still hot and fresh."
"Oh. Is that so, Rey?"
Rey's voice had an edge as she replied "Yes, it is. It's hot. And fresh." Clinking ensued as she began to serve it into Luke's collection of dishes that had been carved out of rock. Luke moved to help her.
Kylo Ren on the other hand, sat down at the outcrop of rock that served as a tiny table in the dark cave. He ran a hand through his dark hair, closed his eyes, and pushed a long, slow breath through his nostrils. Why was everything so complicated? There should only be simple answers to everything. No Luke, I'm never coming back. No Rey, I can overpower you whenever. I hate everything that is Light. I only love the Darkness.
Clatter! Kylo Ren started as a tall bowl was practically smacked down in front of him. "Here you go," said Rey tensely. "But you're going to hate it."
She moved to sit down opposite Kylo, revealing Luke standing just behind where she had been, a bowl prepared to set down where it was no longer needed. After just a moment of pause, he casually placed the same bowl in front of Rey and sat down between the two youth with his own bowl in hand.
"And why is that?" Before the words were finished coming out of his mouth, Kylo Ren knew the answer and wished desperately he hadn't asked.
"Because it tastes like innocence and fragility."
"Well I think it tastes lovely," interjected Luke. "And I want to thank both of you for going out to fetch this for me. My bones are too old to caper up and down those cliffs day in and day out. As much as I don't like to admit it, I'm not getting any younger. However, I suppose I shouldn't complain much. With you two here, this island makes for a rather comfortable home."
The old man's rapid words left no room for comment or pause. Under the forced truce his voice created, the two youngest in the room quietly ate their meals and listened to him chatter about his island adventures. It was hard to stay in a bad mood when Jedi Master Luke launched into story mode. As the soup vanished and the stories spun onward, the tension in the room relaxed.
When the meals were all nearly finished, Luke wound his stories to a close. His storm-colored eyes shot between the bowls, then crinkled into a calm smile. "Would you two mind very much if I left you to clean up? I'd like to rest now."
"Of course," said Rey quickly, jumping to her feet. She put out her hand to help Luke off the rock, but he waved her away.
"I may be old, but I'm not that old," he said in mock grouchiness. Rising to his feet with agility that belied his weathered features, Luke strode to the back of the cave and vanished into the darkness.
Silence settled over the dinner area. Rey stood still, gazing thoughtfully into the back of the cave. Kylo stared down at his empty bowl, conflicted over many things.
Then Rey's soft voice cut through the quiet. "Do you really mean to never come back?"
Kylo Ren looked up at her, surprised at the fragility of her tone. Was that… A quiver in her voice?
"Do you really mean to never visit Luke again? To never visit this planet again? To never visit… Me?"
Silence once again spread over the cave. Rey's hands curled into fists as her lips tightened. She sucked in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and prepared to spin around, snatch the dishes off the table and run to the sink to bury herself in cleaning.
"No," a voice murmured behind her, warm breath rustling the hair behind her ear.
Despite the surprise, she did not flinch. "No?"
"No…" He swallowed, unsure of what he wanted to say, or even what his intentions were in speaking. But his lips kept moving gently, even as his brain reeled at what came out of them. "I might… Have spoken too soon. I won't leave you here forever…" He took a deep breath, then said "I'll come back for you."
Rey didn't turn around. But he heard the smile in her voice as she said simply, "Alright."