The establishment was quiet, Rey thought as she looked around curiously from her seat in a corner booth. Dark paneling adorned every wall, and the bar was the most ornate thing in the room, evoking a sense of antiquity stretching back thousands of years, with its ornate mirrored back reflecting the most light to be had in the place. It was a true Corellian style pub, if Rey had the right of it. It was mostly populated by Humans, which was a novel experience for someone used to being one of only a few of her species around.
Rey was eating the daily special of bantha stew and drinking her first ale, but trying hard to pretend like she did it all the time. Nothing could be further from the truth. The simple fare was better than any meal she had ever had in her life, though the ale would take some getting used to.
Her companion was seated next to her, intent on his own meal for the time being; however, she had the distinct impression that he was hyper aware of her every move.
Rey was used to silence- yet, she was beginning to think that this particular silence was becoming intolerable in that it was awkward. Fishing for something to ease the intensity of the situation, Rey mentioned what was on her mind. "Thank you for all you've done for me today—though I can't imagine why you would do it—"
This was true. Rey simply could not imagine his motivations. Jakku was not exactly populated by altruistic beings, and her recent interactions with those outside of Jakku had left her feeling that altruism was only a myth. Finn, Han, General Organa, and even Luke Skywalker had all had their own motives for what they did, and no matter how friendly (or hostile in Luke's case) they had seemed, Rey would almost rather deal with the honesty of the ruthlessness of the planet on which she had survived rather than be disappointed again.
Her dining companion looked up at her then. He also looked momentarily uncomfortable by her words but then looked back down again to his food, just as quickly. His voice was a murmur. "I have my reasons—"
Rey nodded. She had expected as much and it put her at ease that at least he was honest about it, despite his vagueness. She let out a little laugh. "It may sound crazy, but the entire reason I'm on Coruscant is because I simply felt like this was the place to be—"
Her voice trailed off. She had tried to make it all sound more wizard than it really was. She was half afraid that she only sounded pathetic. She couldn't exactly tell him the Force wanted her there.
The man gave her a considering look. With one elbow resting lazily on the table, her companion picked up a tumbler of something acid green that smelled incredibly alcoholic and took a leisurely sip. Then, lifting his index finger from the tumbler, he pointed in her direction. "Me too—" His lip twitched. "Except—I'm not here to steal lightsabers—"
Rey gave the man the stink eye. She huffed and blushed simultaneously. "I wasn't here to steal a lightsaber. It's not like that—"
He smirked into his tumbler. "Then how is it? If anything, I should be worried. I'm eating with a girl that is involved with gangs like Kanjiklub, steals lightsabers, and pulls blasters on people that want to dance with her—"
This man was ridiculously irritating. Rey clenched her teeth and hissed. She would not give him the satisfaction of yelling and causing a scene. "That—was—not—dancing—"
As if realizing his effort at teasing her was backfiring his demeanor turned serious. He held eye contact. "You're right. He was scum—" He was silent for a moment. His voice was almost hesitant when he next spoke. "Can I see it?"
Rey didn't want to talk about the lightsaber…any lightsaber. They only seemed to cause her more trouble than they were worth. Talking about lightsabers with anyone was a dangerous thing these days. She felt her face go blank, her expression closing off. She looked down at the table, suddenly finding it very interesting. "That's a bad idea—they'd really catch me then—"
He looked as if he wanted to say something, then shrugged and leaned back. "Alright. I still want to know why you felt the need—"
Rey quickly cut him off, her nerves suddenly flaring up. It really was dangerous to talk about this. The Force wasn't exactly a conversational topic for dinner with a stranger. Most people didn't want to talk religion anyway. Her voice carried a hint of steel. "It's complicated. I don't want to talk about it if you don't mind."
His eyes flashed with barely contained violence. His jaw was clenched- but then- just as quickly- he relaxed. "Fair enough—" He looked lost for a moment and then his eyes gleamed. He leaned in closer to her. "Do you know what today is?"
Well, it was a Centaxday in 34 ABY, for starters. She knew he wasn't on about that though. There were no holidays on Jakku. Every day was as hopeless as the next. The closest thing that planet had to a holiday was the Battle of Jakku itself- because it assured a way of survival for her ilk- though Rey never had the luxury of keeping track of anything except her abandonment on that Sith forsaken planet. She rolled her eyes. "No- but I have a feeling you're going to tell me—"
His eyes searched her face, looking for something. His voice was a whisper. "Empire Day—"
Despite herself, Rey's eyes met his. Her interest was peaked, and her voice betrayed that interest. She sounded too eager- practically breathless almost. "Really?"
Whatever he had been searching for in her expression, he must have found it, because he looked absolutely satisfied.
Rey could have kicked herself. This topic was even more illicit than speaking of the Force. The New Republic had absolutely no love for the Empire it had defeated- and she wasn't supposed to have any love of it either. However, a lifetime of scavenging Imperial tech left her with more than a passing appreciation. Rey lowered her own voice and looked around. She didn't know why she was telling him this. A tinge of excitement colored her voice. "I came across the most amazing Imperial holo propaganda earlier—it was made for Empire Day—do you know how rare it is to find something that intact?"
His body angled toward hers, he gave a brief nod of confirmation. "I do know- and it sounds impressive—"
Rey cleared her throat, suddenly nervous. "It was—but it's practically treason to talk about this—isn't it?"
He gave her a reassuring look. "Not here it isn't—"
Rey looked around again, attempting to suss out what he meant by that statement. Her voice belied her disbelief. "You don't mean this place is associated with the First Order—and I'm pretty sure it's treason no matter where we are—"
He placed a hand on her thigh.
Perhaps he meant it to be soothing, but it only served to increase Rey's rate of breathing.
His voice took on a mesmerizing quality. "Relax—you know—it isn't often I come across others that are like-minded here—"
Rey stiffened and then angled her body away slightly, displacing his hand from her person in the process.
Rey narrowed her eyes at him. She very much disagreed. "We aren't like-minded—"
His expression was one of amusement, his tone one of disbelief. "If you say so—"
Rey pursed her lips. Her voice was emphatic. "I do—"
He gave her a knowing look. "So what are your political views then—"
This man was literally setting Rey on the very edge.
Rey curled her upper lip as if she smelled something rotten. "Not First Order affiliated ones—"
The man gave a little laugh, apparently not offended. "Do you even know what the First Order is about?"
Rey curled a fist in her lap. "I know enough—"
He leaned in again as if confiding a secret. "What you likely know is Resistance propaganda—"
Rey suddenly couldn't deny that maybe he had a point. It was this that made her hold her tongue. She gave him a questioning look.
The man's eyes sought out hers. His voice was emphatic in its earnestness. "Never forget that the Empire was the legitimately elected government. What the First Order is doing is attempting to restore that government back to its rightful place—"
She looked to the side in contemplation. Rey could also not deny this, though she wanted to badly. Her voice sounded unsure of itself. "They say the Empire was corrupt though—"
He pitched his voice low, going in for the kill. "Don't you think it's strange that you're willing to support a group that isn't even legal to the current government?"
Rey was confused and looked at his face. "What?"
He narrowed his eyes. His gave a guttural sound of repugnance. "The Resistance—they work outside of the New Republic—completely ignoring the Military Disarmament Act—"
She hadn't really thought about it, actually. Rey looked away from him, suddenly very uncomfortable with the topic. He was making her think about things that she, perhaps, ought not to. She not so subtly changed the subject. "Look—you said you had your reasons for helping me—I'd like to know what they are—It isn't that I don't trust you—it's just that—I don't trust you. I don't trust anyone—"
He gave her a barely perceptible, but completely charming smile. "Another thing we have in common—"
Rey huffed in irritation. She would not let on that he was affecting her in any positive manner. "Come on—"
He gestured towards her earnestly. His voice was intense. "I'm serious. You want to know my reasons, well here they are. I took one look at you and I knew—I knew we were meant to meet—I knew you were like me—I knew—you know it too—"
It was like he knew about the Force. Rey closed her eyes briefly. The Force! She would not listen to it now—not even if he was part of what it wanted—no—she would not. Rey shook her head and gave a derisive laugh. "You don't even know me—not even my name—"
His voice sounded so intimate. "Who are you?"
Rey opened her eyes and deliberately looked at him blankly. "Nobody."
He glared at her as if her self-deprecation and evasiveness was a personal affront. "Maybe so- but you don't have to be— it's who we decide to become that matters—not our past."
That was a nice piece of sentiment right there. Total Sithspit, but nice. It was like those resolutions she heard people often made at the turn of the year on some planets. However, the past would always come back to haunt someone. Rey ignored him to go on with her own narrative. "Too many bad holo-thrillers start this way. Dodgy bloke leads poor, innocent girl to her doom—"
Not that Rey had ever had the opportunity to watch holo-thrillers bad or otherwise, but her point stood.
It was his turn to roll his eyes. "Please. There are just as many bad holo-thrillers where the innocent girl is anything but—"
Rey tensed her shoulders. The look she gave him showcased her irritation. "You know—I'm thinking politics is another topic we shouldn't discuss—"
The man held his hands out in a placating gesture. "Hey—I'm not your enemy here—I don't have to be anyway—you can talk to me about anything—"
Rey angled her body towards him this time and leaned into his personal space. Her voice was sarcastic. "Because we know each other so well—"
Suddenly, he covered what little distance that was between them and invaded Rey's personal space in return. They were so close they were almost touching. The look he gave her was downright—fervent—perhaps? Rey didn't know and she wasn't going to find out.
"We could—"
Rey backed away quickly, almost falling back into the booth in her haste to move away from him. Another trope that Rey had been assured was a part of bad holo-thrillers was when a girl decided to end a bad date by going to the fresher and not coming back. Not that this was a date. Tall, dark and dangerous would just have to be disappointed in not meeting his First Order recruitment quota for the month. She stood up decisively. She picked up her bag and draped it over herself cross ways. "I need to use the fresher."
He gave her a questioning look. "With your bag?"
Rey searched for any excuse at her disposal. "I am experiencing my menstrual cycle—"
That was a thing, right? Most women controlled it with modern galactic medicine- however- on Jakku if one was lucky enough to even have a menstrual cycle it was dealt with the old fashioned way. Allegedly every male in the galaxy wished to avoid such topics. She was counting on male ignorance regarding these things.
The man choked on his sip of acid green alcohol. "Then by all means. You've got a lot of candor—"
That the fresher actually had a window was a stroke of luck. He had watched her avidly enough that Rey had no choice but to go inside. She wasted no time in heaving herself through the opening and tried to look casual in her escape once she reached the street. However, Coruscant was used to odd scenes and scum, so what was one girl crawling from a window to them? It quickly became clear that there were no reliable public transports to be had out of the area- until her eyes landed on the swoop.
She shouldn't. She'd be no better than half the scum on Jakku if she did. However, Rey was nothing if not a survivor, and wasn't this situation about that too? The Force was literally blaring at her; however, whether or not it was alerting her to fight, flee, or stay wasn't something she was even going to consider. She didn't want to know, not after the events of today and what listening to the Force had brought her thus far. She simply wanted to do what she wanted to do, and what she wanted was to leave quickly.
Half in a daze and half in a panic, Rey seated herself on the swoop bike and lifted her hands to the controls. It really was a beautiful thing, she thought idly, her hands ghosting over the controls and revving the repulsorlift propulsion engine. A low buzzing sound erupted from the bike and Rey felt its vibration through her whole body. She could get used to this. Rey smiled to herself.
With barely a hint of warning from the Force, Rey felt a presence behind her. Turning her head to look over her shoulder- she recognized tall, dark and dangerous whom she had just left sitting at the table. To say that he looked upset was a bit of an understatement.
His look was fierce. "We're not done yet."
Rey's shoulders tightened in anticipation. Oh, they really, really were. Despite her nerves, despite the sheer terror of being caught in that moment, despite the absolutely deadly look on his face, she couldn't help herself. Rey winked at him. Then, she pulled up on the throttle and started racing down the street. However, she did not get far.
The swoop was suddenly idling and not going anywhere.
She pulled the throttle all the way up but it did no good. Rey cursed. "Blast!"
A pair of arms slid around her waist, followed quickly by a torso resting against her back and long legs on either side of her.
Rey's eyes widened dramatically and she let out a yelp.
His voice was a low growl. "If you wanted to ride my bike, all you needed to do was ask—"
The timbre of his voice and the fact that it was right in her ear sent shivers down Rey's spine. Her skin erupted in gooseflesh. To Rey this unacceptable response of hers was only a cause for anger. She raised her chin defiantly. She pitched her own voice into a growl. "Get off—you absolute di'kut—"
Rey was about to elbow him in the abdomen when he growled in her ear again. He tightened his hands around her in warning. "Don't you dare—"
He brought his hands up to rest on top of hers on the controls. His voice sounded disdainful. "If you're through acting like a complete scavenger—"
Rey gritted her teeth and seethed. "I am a scavenger—"
He ignored her and spoke over her. "—Then there's something else I wanted to show you—"
Sirens were blaring in Rey's mind. This could go a few ways—most of them not good for her. However, she knew her course of action even still. Rey was already cursing herself for carrying through on yet another foolish act. The Force was obviously not her friend. She was just making one bad decision after another of late, wasn't she? Rey pursed her lips and glanced over her shoulder at him. "How do I know this isn't a trap of some sort?"
He gave her a dark smirk. His tone, however, was blasé. "You don't—but life is full of risks—shall we?"
Rey muttered under her breath. "Let's get this over with."
For all that her hands were also on the controls, she was not the one in control of the swoop. It was, possibly, worse than before because she could see everything from the front row seat, so to speak. Her companion was enjoying himself. She knew he was. Every accidental gasp on her part had her feeling the smugness on his end. She didn't know the Force worked that way- but it apparently did. It was intolerable.
They finally landed.
Rey looked around, completely unimpressed. This was just getting better and better. Her tone was dry. "This is a docking bay."
Her companion responded in an equally dry manner. "Oh, well done. What tipped you off? Was it the ships?"
Upon closer inspection, Rey noticed that they were in front of an upsilon-class command shuttle. She had a bad feeling about this. It had a distinctly First Order look to it, at any rate. However, it did look quite impressive and Rey was rather hoping that was the point of this little adventure—to impress her. She was desperately hoping she wasn't about to be shanghaied.
It was only when she turned around to face the man who still had her caged within his arms on the swoop, that she noticed another ship across the docking bay. Rey bit her lip and groaned before slumping against the man next to her in frustration, before she even realized what she was doing. "Oh, Maker—what's he doing here?"
Her companion stiffened in surprise before putting his hands on her shoulders and pushing her back slightly to look at her face. "What's who doing here?"
Rey spoke darkly with a glower on her face. "He'd better not be here to keep tabs on me—"
"Again—whom are you talking about?"
Rey's voice was one of woeful resignation. "Han Solo—"
Her companion stiffened next to her again before getting off the swoop and looking around almost wildly before his eyes finally settled on the Millennium Falcon. He ran a hand through his dark curls and swore. "Stang!"
He turned to her incredulously. "You know Han Solo?"
Rey's bad feeling got suddenly worse. She gave him a shrewd look from her seat on the bike. "Looks like I'm not the only one—"
A blaster bolt whizzed by Rey's head and hit some storage cubes next to the swoop.
Rey jumped from the bike and whirled around to face the Falcon. Her heart was pounding erratically. Someone had just tried to kill her. Her entire body was shaking. Rey reached for the blaster she had strapped to her side, but had to jump back as another bolt came soaring towards her. She dropped the blaster with nerveless fingers. She flinched back, her eyes wide in fear. She would have to move, she thought frantically.
The bolt stopped in mid air right in front of her.
Rey could feel the blood rushing into her ears as she heard the distinctive snap hiss of a lightsaber from behind her. She heard the subsequent hum of it as it was brandished around and the faint ozone smell assailed her nostrils. Turning her head to look over her shoulder, she saw a wicked looking red cross-guard blade as unstable as its owner was reported to be. From behind the blade she recognized the man she had managed to spend her entire evening with. Tall, dark, and dangerous indeed, she thought. He looked livid. Luckily, his expression was not leveled at her.
Across the docking bay, Rey spied their shooter. He was wearing all black leather and was holding up a percussive cannon. He yelled to them in his lilting accent. "I've come for retribution—Scavenger!"
From behind her a dry voice commented. "You didn't tell me you also had a Guavian Death Gang problem—"
Rey spoke in annoyance and not a little fear. "I didn't realize I still had one—I assumed the rathtars took care of it—"
"Rathtars?"
It was good to know that even his voice could crack.
Rey tried to put on her best negotiator face. How the Guavian Death Gang even knew about her- she'd love to know. She gave a wan smile. Her voice sounded way more nervous than she wanted. "You know—Bala-Tik was it? I don't actually work for Han Solo—I stole the Millennium Falcon off of Jakku—"
The voice behind her sounded resigned now. "Of course- you did—" His voice was directed straight into Rey's ear this time. It sounded bitter. "Do you know Luke Skywalker too?"
Rey clenched her jaw and hissed at him. "Now is not the time—"
Bala-Tik yelled back. "Your lies won't save you now- girl!"
Her companion had never let his guard down for an instant- lightsaber at the ready. His voice was terse. "If I were you, I'd get ready for aggressive negotiations—"
The Guavian Death Gang's red and black helmeted goons started popping up all over the docking bay, each heavily armed.
Rey reached into her bag and pulled out the hilt of the double-bladed lightsaber she'd taken earlier. She ignited it, the dual-blades sizzling into a beautiful red glow with a hum and took a back-to-back defensive stance with the man next to her.
Her companion side-eyed her with a serious expression. "Do you know how to use that thing?"
Rey let a haughty expression pass over her face. "Well enough—"
His smirk was deadly. "It looks like you'll get to dance after all—"
A volley of blaster bolts assailed them.
Her blades attracted more fire, and a second volley hit her position hard.
Rey held up her lightsaber defensively and was almost thrown back under the weight of the assault. Yet, it seemed that at least it was good for one thing. More than a few bolts were deflected back to her enemies with it. She swung it experimentally and almost gave the lightsaber a look of wonder. It was working!
Her dark companion had already spun out and was engaged in hacking through those foolish enough to meet him. They fell quickly under his red blade.
Her momentary distraction turned out to be a mistake, as Bala-Tik came from seemingly out of nowhere and had her at the end of his percussive cannon at point blank range. He had already fired before she even had time to think about defending herself by conventional means.
Time itself seemed to slow down and Rey watched with wide eyes as the blaster fire came ever closer. Her life would not end here like this, she decided. Abruptly holding out her hand, Rey willed it to stop as she had seen done earlier. That it did somehow came as no surprise. She was in control here. With a snarl, she twirled her blade in a sweeping arc and cut straight through the man in front of her.
Bala-Tik fell face down in front of her in two distinct pieces.
Rey was still angry and she was breathing hard. Her lip curled in disgust at the scene in front of her. She fought the urge to gag.
The hangar was suddenly quiet save for the hum of their lightsabers.
Her eyes darted to the figure that had slowly moved to stand before her, red lightsaber still held aloft. Rey's eyes were drawn to his and she was surprised to see how fierce and intent his expression was. She forgot to breathe. She couldn't look away if she tried. Rey felt frozen to the spot. She literally felt his gaze upon her and it was disconcerting in the extreme. Rey got the distinct impression that those dark eyes missed nothing, especially considering he had started trailing them slowly up and down her body. It almost felt like a physical caress. Such actions had always disgusted her from others, but this time her reaction was something else altogether, which caused her disgust to be directed inward instead. Her heart rate increased at this and she was quite sure she was blushing.
Ren's eyes were suddenly trained on hers again, his dark gaze full of greed and hunger. "So, you're the girl I've heard so much about—"
Rey let out a shaky breath she didn't realize she was holding. As if he didn't know! Her first reaction was to express her anger at his words. He was being intentionally provocative. Rey decided she would be the bigger person and not react to it. She wasn't as successful as she wanted to be. She narrowed her eyes at him and practically sneered. At least her voice sounded haughty. "That depends on what you've heard—and you just thought you'd leave the whole Kylo Ren part out of your introduction, did you?"
Kylo Ren actually managed to sound somewhat offended, though he was obviously not sincere if his facial expression was anything to go by. "Well, you didn't give a name either—"
Rey gave Kylo Ren a glare that would curdle milk. "Kriff you!"
The look Kylo Ren gave her was downright suggestive. "Are you offering, sweetheart?"
The man barely had time to bring his lightsaber up to block Rey's first blow.
Rey hissed through her teeth. "I will end you—"
Kylo Ren's delighted tone was at odds with the dark glare he was giving her. "And she's violent—"
He spun his lightsaber almost arrogantly and it came down towards her in an overhead swing.
Rey blocked the swing with one of her blades, before spinning out and fluidly sweeping the other blade back in his direction, going for his legs.
He met her blow effortlessly, shoving her away, and then held out one of his hands towards her with his eyes narrowed in concentration.
Suddenly, Rey couldn't move at all. Everything odd she'd seen and experienced all evening was beginning to make perfect sense. To Rey he looked like an absolute madman.
The red glow and hum of Kylo's lightsaber came to rest near her neck. The heat of the blade was practically burning her skin.
She felt a slight niggling of something push into her mind- barely perceptive- but there. Rey did not like this and instinctively pushed back with her face set into a snarl.
The Force hold he had on her abruptly disappeared.
Like a marionette with its strings cut, Rey had to resist the urge to fall to the ground. She felt Kylo move away from her and walk back towards his ship. Rey spun around incredulously, her mouth agape, following Kylo's progress with her eyes.
When Kylo got to the ramp, he turned back towards Rey and looked at her expectantly. "Well?"
For her part, Rey was sure she was still doing a good impression of a Jakku sand fish. Her voice sounded strained and she could have kicked herself. "What?"
Kylo's eyes never left hers, his gaze intense. He raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Do you want to see my ship or not? Please—be my guest—"
Her instincts told her to run, but the Force was encouraging her to stay. Rey was quickly coming to hate the Force. She extinguished her lightsaber. Steeling herself, Rey forced herself to follow him into his ship.
After walking up the entrance ramp, Rey's heart just about stopped.
Kylo Ren was standing in front of her and leaning casually against the durasteel wall like he had no intention of going anywhere.
Rey walked as close as she dared and also leaned against the durasteel wall. She hugged her upper arms to herself and shifted somewhat awkwardly, looking to the side, suddenly unable to bring herself to look him in the eyes. In an effort to mask her insecurity, Rey spoke. "Hey—"
He was suddenly a lot closer to her, with one arm propped against the wall near her head.
Rey could feel his gaze traveling over her face and neck with the slight ghosting of his breath heating her skin in his perusal.
His voice was soft next to her ear. "Hey, yourself—"
She chanced a glance up to his face.
Kylo's pupils were blown wide and his gaze was downright predatory. He brought his other arm to rest on the other side of her head and drew closer. "What's your name?"
Without warning his lips descended on hers.
Rey was overcome with sensation. The pleasurable feeling radiated to her very core. She had never experienced anything of the like. Her entire body was quivering in response. She closed her eyes.
Kylo drew back from the kiss slightly.
Rey panted. "Oh, stars!"
Kylo kissed her again with a groan, bringing his entire body into contact her own, his hands grasping at her waist, and stepping between her legs.
Hardly being aware of her actions, Rey brought her arms up around his neck and kissed him back, her lips moving languorously with his. She was burning at his ardent actions, tingles moving throughout her body like a supernova with every move of his mouth and every caress of his hands. The heat of him and the hardness of his body felt exquisite. Rey literally whined when he pulled away, the lewd sound finally breaking through her senses and leaving her acutely aware with whom she was engaging in such lecherous acts.
The look Kylo Ren gave her now was positively smoldering. His voice sounded ragged and he looked slightly disheveled. "I want you to come back with me—"
Disheveled was a good look for him, Rey thought. Despite this new yearning Rey had for the man in front of her- she pushed him back slightly- and rested the back of her head against the wall with tears of frustration in her eyes. "I can't—I need to figure things out—Where my place is in all of this—"
Kylo gave her a rather dominating stare that just oozed smugness. "With me—obviously—"
Rey used the Force to shove him back and crossed her arms in irritation. "You are not helping your case—"
Suddenly serious, Kylo took pity on her. "You're conflicted—I feel it—"
Rey was not used to being this open or vulnerable in front of anyone. Her body language signaled for Kylo to stay away. She bit her lip in uncertainty and looked to the side as if remembering the ghosts of her past. Everything came tumbling out before she could stop herself. "It was easy on Jakku—survive or die. It seems like—nothing—has been easy since then—Han Solo offered me a job once—then he took it away—took me right to his wife—said he was sorry but—anyway—they sent me off to be a Jedi—and I wasn't even sure I wanted that—I thought they were a myth—I was terrified of it to be honest." Rey looked as lost as she felt. Her voice turned harsh. She gave a bitter laugh. "Not that that even mattered—oh no—the great Luke Skywalker didn't want anything to do with someone like me—not really—I don't even know why I felt bad for leaving—"
He looked as if he wanted to pursue the Luke Skywalker line of questioning and then thought better of it. Kylo's tone was practically hesitant. His eyes betrayed his eagerness for this outcome. "I can be your teacher—"
Rey gave him a shy smile. "I appreciate the offer—but like I said—I need to figure this out on my own—"
Kylo looked slightly flustered. "I—what is your name again? I can't just call you girl or scavenger all the time—"
Rey gave him a smirk. Perhaps, she had been a little too coy in withholding that information. "Rey—"
Kylo looked like he was savoring it on his tongue as he said it. "Rey—" Then he snapped out of his stupor and pulled a hand through his dark curls with a sigh. "I'm sure you know the First Order doesn't have a habit of letting anyone like you get away—"
She knew he had been up to no good. "So you were going to shanghai me—"
Kylo shrugged unrepentantly. In the next second he looked like he had come to a decision and he wasn't happy about it. "Kriff it—fine—figure things out—but don't wait too long—do that and I'll have to come after you—and I really don't want to be your enemy- Rey—"
Rey's heart fluttered at his words, and she wasn't used to that sort of thing at all. After she had left the ship- Rey reflected on what she needed to do. She had to confront Han Solo. She needed to go back to the Resistance. She needed to see if that was truly where her beliefs and destiny were pointing. She needed distance from Kylo Ren- for all the wrong reasons-if she was honest. She should have felt ashamed of herself. She didn't really feel anything.
Kylo Ren's voice called to her, his voice almost sounding desperate. "Rey!"
Rey twirled around and could see him standing at the top of the ramp of his upsilon-class command shuttle. She couldn't help the teasing glint that came into her eye as she flirted with him shamelessly. "Yes- Commander?"
He was staring down at her, a slight breeze blowing his hair into his eyes.
The slight blush on his cheeks may or may not have been her imagination.
Kylo tossed a small object at her. His voice was barely audible over the engines of his ship coming to life. "Just in case—"
Rey caught the object deftly with one hand. Hesitantly, she looked down only to see a ring glinting up at her. In her confusion she slid her eyes back up. "Just in case, what?"
The ship's ramp was already closed, with Kylo Ren already gone from her sight.
Stepping through the carnage they had wrought on the Guavian Death Gang earlier, Rey made her way over to the Millennium Falcon and let herself onto the ship. She could break into anything. She sat down at the holo-chess table and waited. Taking out the ring, she discovered that it was hiding plenty of secrets, not the least of which was that it could be opened to reveal the Imperial Crest. Interesting that it wasn't First Order. Rey hummed in contemplation, pocketed the ring, and sat back to wait for Han Solo's return. She had a lot to think about.
A di'kut is a jerk, by the way.
