"You are out of your goddamn mind."
"You're not being sensible about this, Poe."
Poe Dameron was nothing if not sensible. He had once been an ethnical and later sexual minority enrolled in an expensive prep school on a poorly disguised diversity quota. He had had to develop a good ounce of common sense to survive those years.
"Get involved in sports," his councilors had told him. Being good at polo or rowing would have probably helped, in hindsight, but he had never been one to conform. He took up classical ballet instead.
Then he went to Julliard on full scholarship and was drawn to contemporary dance, grew a beard and co-founded Resistance, branded as the most culturally inclusive, diverse and rule-breaking contemporary ballet company in the States.
The critical response had been overwhelming. They were regarded as "a beacon of innovation", their "awe-inspiring and transcendental" performances "blurring the lines between movement, space and time". Five years later, they had toured 5 continents, had performed at some of the most prestigious dance festivals in the world and had been nominated for roughly every major award in the field, scoring more than one unexpected win.
"Finn, he's going to blow an aneurysm."
The "he" in questions was Poe's partner. He went by Ben Solo again. They had met at Julliard twelve years earlier, Poe being one year his senior, and had clicked over their somewhat common artistic vision and passion for planes. It had been an easy friendship, Ben being utterly blind about stereotypes despite the affluence of his family and Poe never asking questions about the headlines everyone read.
Senator Organa-Solo had been Speaker of the House when the hat dropped. Poe was on his first tour with the American Ballet Theatre after graduating and they were speaking less and less but each time Ben seemed more distant, more on edge, unhappier. Then one day, Poe read on Twitter that Speaker Organa-Solo's son had left Julliard in a rage after thrashing a rehearsal studio, going on to become principal dancer in the FO Ballet Company, under the tutelage of Leonard Snoke, whose critical acclaim was surpassed only by the rumors of his despotic methods, discriminatory casting and psychological abuse he brought upon his dancers.
He never answered Poe's calls, changed his name to Kylo Ren, as if to wedge a deeper rift between him and his parents, and skyrocketed to stardom. Poe had somewhat melancholically rejoiced in his success, but as the years passed could not help noticing the circles that were deepening under his former friend's eyes with every talk-show appearance, the hollowness in his cheeks on magazine covers, the glassy look he sported in tabloid snapshots. Kylo Ren was not well.
Then one night, before the headlines broke, the call came. The rest was history.
"He won't if he sees her" Finn pushed. "I am telling you, Poe, it is unlike anything I've ever seen. I'm taking you over tonight."
Poe rubbed his temples resignedly. Things between Finn and him were still relatively new, so in order to let him down gently, he hesitated speaking the blatant truth out loud. Ben Solo was never going to audition a stripper for his company.