Later that night, Kylo Ren stood at the balcony of his room. It was raining. It didn't stop the speeders, and ships from flying by. It didn't seem to stop the people milling below his floor. He was watching the rain. it was raining in his heart.
He took the old woman's advice to heart and texted a simple message to his mother. His mother answered simply Hi back. But then she also texted back that his father's funeral was today. He knew he should have been there. He wasn't.
Hux came into the room and stood next to Kylo. Ren resumed looking at the rain and the traffic going by. He said nothing to Ren. Ren closed his eyes. Tears that he had been fighting since the first text fell. Ren looked at his comm again. He fought the urge to throw the blasted device into the sky.
The presence came floating to him. small, and comforting. it knew that it couldn't heal the wounds in his heart, but for the moment it made things bearable. The presence said, in its own lilting way that what he did was the right thing. Hux stood by him in silence. Ren was still watching the world go by. He knew that the First Order general was there. No words needed to be said. He looked at the comm, at the text bubbles. He noted the last time that he texted his mother's comm number. Seven months. He silently vowed to text more often. She needs to know that I'm okay from time to time, he thought. I mean I know she knows, but the words should be there. He continued the thought. His thoughts went to that old woman that told him that. Is she foreshadowing what may come? Nah. But she was right. I do feel a little better. The presence agreed with him and gifted him with a brush across his braod shoulders. It felt warm and soothing. He put the comm back into his pocket and resumed his contemplation. He stood there on the balcony watching the world go by.
The other man standing on the balcony took his leave and left Kylo Ren in silence. The prescence lingered for awhile longer.
