The pounding of his boots upon the polished floor were the only sounds reverberating down the typically quiet halls of the Finalizer. He was heading back to his quarters for the end of the cycle; perhaps he could sleep away the raw, boiling need to destroy that flowed through his veins and curled his hands into fists from his most recent disappointment.
However, just before he turned the corner of the corridor that would lead to the secluded hall that led to his chambers, he felt the presence in the Force.
"Lord Ren." Raising the visor on his helm, he leveled the void of black on the other darkly glad figure a few feet away.
"Casor." He addressed the other Knight of Ren while his brow furrowed beneath his helmet. It wasn't often that his comrades came to find him outside of the temple, let alone right outside his quarters. "Is there something you need?"
"It's the bounty hunter." His voice filtered out through the modulator. "They're waiting on the comm link in the council chambers."
His head raised to look past the male in the direction of their designated sector aboard the ship, "Finally."
Immediately, he was striding forward once more, his heavy footfalls once more echoing down the corridor as he rushed towards the council room. Casor Ren was walking just as briskly a few steps behind him.
It didn't take him long to maneuver across the ship before he was walking through the heavy blast door that led to the training room and and the barracks that belonged to the Knights of Ren.
The main training room was mostly empty, save for three of his younger comrades who had yet to retire for the evening, two boys having been sparing while the third, a female, watched from the floor. At his sudden, thundering entrance, their heads snapped in his direction and they all stopped what they were doing. They three apprentices said nothing and remained perfectly still, knowing full well what could happen if they happened to cross his path when he radiated destructive feelings.
He paid them little mind as he crossed the training room and the second polished doors slid open, allowing him to stride into the darkened council chamber. Casor was still behind him.
Stalking across the room and through the dim lighting, he lowered himself and sat cross-legged on a black silk cushion, one of nine placed in a ring around the edge of the darkened room. A moment later, the blackness in the center of the room lit up with pale blue light, revealing the seated form of the aforementioned bounty hunter.
"Commander." Their voice came out as a croak through their modulator.
"Hound." He tilted his head to the side slightly as he observed the other creature for a brief moment. He then shifted his gaze to the other Knight in the room "Leave us."
He bowed his head, "Yes, my lord." Casor left without another utterance, the heavy door closing behind him and bathing the room in blackness once more.
For a long while, neither of them spoke. For a very brief moment, Ren wondered if the hologram had frozen but was reassured that it wasn't by the slow rise and fall of their chest as they breathed, as well as the low hiss of the respirator of their helmet. Eventually, the bounty hunter leaned forward in their seat and rested their elbows on their knees, all the while looking straight into the viewport on the holo transmitter.
"Do you take me for a fool, Hound? Or are you so... ignorant?" He tilted his head to the other side and his fingers curled themselves into fists. "Did you think that I wouldn't be angry that you have failed to answer my request for an update?" He snarled, leaning forward menacingly. His hands were braced on his knees. "This is both your first and last warning, dog." He growled lowly and, just as the hunter had done, continued to stare back into the holo. "When I call... you will answer. Never again will I will be kept waiting, do you understand?"
"I will answer when I am ready, Commander." They spat and the Knight's fists curled even tighter. "I will not always come to your beck and call."
"Watch your tone, hunter." He warned them, his eyes narrowing behind his visor.
It was now the Hound's turn to tilt their helm on their head before they sat back once more in their seat, their own bare fingers curling into tight fists. "You're so quick to snap your jaws at me, Ren."
"Do you wish to explain your delay, then?"
"I am currently about to investigate a lead to your Jedi in the Outer Rim and was out of range of your transmission frequency."
Oh.
Ren sat up a little straighter at the exceptionally plausible situation. It was moments like these that he was grateful for the helm upon his head to conceal his face and the pink color that had briefly burned his cheeks.
He cleared his throat and shook himself mentally, "Your location?"
"Classified." They stared unwaveringly into the transmitter.
His fists tightened further until his nails were digging into the leather of his gloves and he tilted his head to the side, "Excuse me?" He taunted. "I don't think I heard you right…?"
The hunter was silent for a moment and briefly, the Knight swore that he could feel their amusement trickling through the air around him over the transmission.
"I know how this game is played, Ren." There was definitely a higher lilt in their voice. "You're certainly not the first person to threaten me over a bounty."
"But, I will make sure that I'm the last." He growled the promise menacingly.
Again, the bounty hunter was silent and sighed, their shoulders slumping before they hummed quietly and shook their head slightly, "It's almost endearing how you employ scare tactics to get your way."
He frowned underneath his mask, "You would be surprised how powerful fear can be."
"That is, until you find someone who does not fear you." The hunter stared unwaveringly back at him, one of their hands raising to absentmindedly rub the chin of their helm.
"Like you?" He narrowed his eyes.
"Yes, exactly," they said, "I am not fear you." The way in which they spoke only caused the Knight's rage to climb even further. He watched as they leaned forward once more and clasped their hands in front of them, their holo flickering and wavering for a moment. "I have no reason to be."
He felt his rage began to boil over and he snickered bitterly. "You see, that is where you are wrong, little hunter. Or have you already forgotten my promise to you?"
"Your promises are just empty words until you actually act upon them, Ren." They hummed once more and looked absentmindedly across the room they were in for a moment. "It's a bad way to assert yourself… By playing on people's fear. Yes, it may be effective. But, in a moment of battle when the Resistance is drawing close to victory, do you think your officers, your troopers, would stay by your side in the face of death? Would they stay and fight, if… say… a Jedi stood across the battlefield from them? No… They would not."
"But, that's why you're here, Hound. To eliminate the threat of the Jedi." He ground out.
"That's not-" The hunter slapped a hand to their head and shook it in frustration. "That's not the point I was making." Dropping their hand, they looked back up at him. "It's their respect that you need to garner. With respect comes their loyalty…" There was a low hum of amusement before the Hound was tilting their head once more. "And we both know about you and loyalty… don't we, Ren?"
"ENOUGH." His fists slammed down onto his thigh as he felt the last remnants of his patience snap at the mention of his previous life. "You will watch your filthy mouth lest I make you put it to better use!" His threatened with a harsh finger pointed at them, his chest was heaving now and shoulders shaking with rage as he climbed to his feet. "You realize that drawing my wrath now will only do to make your already promised, hellish life worse when you do recover Skywalker and the scavenger girl!?"
Despite this, the unhinging torment of rage that happened before them, Wraith Hound Vl sat silently, their head raised at a slight angle now that he was standing. They seemed entirely unfazed by his outburst. Unwaveringly calm, if not slightly amused that they could light a fire beneath him so easily.
"'If'… 'if' is now the big question, Lord Ren." They sneered his title, sitting forward in their seat once more, their elbows resting on their knees. "If these threats, these promises of pain persist… I may decide that Skywalker is too elusive and call off my hunt. Put you and your little Knights entirely out of my mind. Do you want to know how this is possible?" They tilted their head to the side, once more seeming to mock him.
For a long moment, he was silent, the muscles in his arms straining as he continued to clench his fists tightly. He did not like the way the bounty hunter was speaking.
"You need to remember. I know how this game works. I know the nature of the galaxy exceptionally well. It was part of my training." They sighed, their shoulders slumping slightly while they shook their head. "I am disappointed in you, Commander. I wouldn't have taken you for someone so ignorant. Because, under this helmet, Wraith Hound Vl does not exist." They passed a hand over their mask. "You see? You have never seen my face. You've never heard my voice. You've never felt my true Force-signature. I can simply take all of this off and disappear." There was a strange noise that filtered through the modulator on their mask that could pass for a soft chuckle. "You would never find me."
It was quiet for a moment and Ren watched as the hunter simply sat back in their seat, the sightless void of their own visor fixed upon him.
"But I won't do that..." They sighed. "I still desire that endless supply of credits I was so readily promised. And, when I find Skywalker, I will be the one to find you. Until then, everything about my location will be undisclosed to ensure my own safety and that none of your Knights get in my way. Is that understood?"
Ren's fingers gripped tightly to the heavy fabric of his pants and his jaw clenched tightly, his teeth grinding together in anger. He took a shaky breath in, being careful to contain himself when he next spoke so softly, "Yes."
"Very good."
"I still request that you provide updates regarding your hunt."
There was a long pause, "I think perhaps I could manage that." Their was a crackle that filtered out through the modulator on their mask as they snickered. "See what happens when you ask nicely, Ren?" They sat up straight in their seat and nodded their head once. "I need to go hunt. Until next time, Commander."
With that, the transmission ended and the room was once more shrouded completely in darkness.
Ren remained standing their for a long moment, allowing his teeth to grit and his fists to shake. He was breathing heavily in through his nose and out through his mouth in an attempt to calm the inferno licking through his veins. His hand suddenly snapped out and the doors across the room screeched as they were forced open, momentarily bathing him in light before he was stalking out of the room.
Once more, the younger apprentices looked over at him when he entered and said nothing, instead shrinking back slightly when they felt the hot anger radiating off his person in nearly suffocating waves.
He was able to make it out of the training room and down the hall aways before his mind began to race repeatedly through his previous conversation with the bounty hunter.
It had been a long while since he had spoken with someone like that. Yes, he conversed with the Supreme Leader who often spoke down to him. But... Hux was the only other person to verbally berate him without a lick of fear. Otherwise, no one - no one else - ever spoke to him that way.
Part of him felt degraded. Chastised like a naive child. Shamed.
By a bounty hunter.
Another part of him though...
Another part purred with delight. Wanted to curl his lips into a smirk. Wanted to have the bounty hunter at his right hand, dressed head to toe in black. Because he liked it when the Hound didn't back down. Part of him enjoyed the prospects of a challenge. Of someone else who was worthy to face him and not quake where they stood.
Part of it enjoyed how the Hound demanded respect from him.
In the end, however, his rage won.
The voice modulator in his helmet struggled to regulate the near animalistic howl of loathing as he snapped his lightsaber from his belt and ignitied it in one movement before he was physically carving his rage into the nearest durasteel wall.
With her hazel eyes blown wide, the girl pumped her arms almost frantically as she raced through the thick foliage around her. Her legs burned with the want to stop, to rest, but she ignored the pain and continued forward despite her fatigue.
She'd been running for what felt like forever now and she tried to check her surroundings as she ran, her mind stretching out into the Force to feel if there was anything - anyone - around her but she found that she struggled to do so while moving. She still hadn't developed her abilities enough and the veil she held over her own signature wavered when she tried to multitask.
Resigning herself, she slowed in her running until she came to a stop.
Her chest rose and fell quickly as she tried to regulate her breathing, her rapid panting one of the few sounds filling the quiet clearing that she stood in. Her eyes darted rapidly around the thick foliage that surrounded her. Her ears strained in an attempt to hear if she was be pursued but the task proved to be difficult seeing how all she could hear was the rapid pounding of her heart.
Sweat had beaded on her forehead from her exertion, the cursed island exceedingly humid, only making the air harder for her to breath.
Something snapped behind her and the brunette whipped around towards the noise, only to find that the jungle just continued to retain the same quiet lull as before: the birds singing quietly overhead in the distant trees, small insects emitting their own buzzing tones, the careful whispers of the wind as it passed through the heavy fronds of the tropical trees around her.
Rey felt her anxiety spike when she failed to find a source of the noise and once she was able to breath more regularly, she steeled herself and allowed her eyes to slide closed.
Taking a deep breath in, she pulled the Force to her and allowed it to circle and dance around her person, briefly encompassing her in a welcoming light. Inhaling deeply once more, she then pushed outwards with her mind, the tendrils from her own aura reaching out and brushing passed all.
She could feel everything around her: the birds, the trees, the insects... everything else really on the island.
Except, there was an unusual absence in the Force. And that was terrifying.
There was also really no detectable explanation she could use to explain the noise that had occurred moments ago. So, in the end, she just turned and began to run through the thick trees once more despite how fatigued she felt, her paranoia getting the best of her.
She ran until her legs began to shake and her chest was once more heaving rapidly as her lungs screamed for air. She only stopped when the feeling of being watched passed and she came to a staggering stop and she doubled over slightly, her hands on her knees as she tried to breathe normally.
With her senses heightened with the Force, her eyes continuously darted around the surrounding area, searching for the one she was running from. The one giving chase.
She could now faintly hear the roaring of the falls in the distance but the birdsong and buzz of insects seemed to have followed her, soothing her nerves somewhat.
After a few near painfully long minutes, she was able to quiet her body back to a more normal state and she straightened up. Perhaps... Perhaps her paranoia had been all for nothing. She wasn't that familiar with the island so of course she would be nervous, jittery even.
She walked the few feet across the way to a large tree where she then turned around and leaned against it. She let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and leaned her head back against the trunk, her eyes slipping closed as she reached for the calm provided by the Force that she loved to wrap herself in.
However, she was entirely unaware of the silent shadow that crept its way along the thick tree branches above her, a wry smirk pulling back a set of lips.
"Dead."
Rey's eyes shot wide open when something cold pressed itself onto the underside of her jaw and she froze. That same cold, hard object then titled her chin upwards so that she could see her attacker.
The young brunette released a loud groan of frustration as her eyes took in the sight of her Master above her, smirking down at her as the blonde Jedi reclined back in the junction of the tree's branches, looking absolutely pleased with herself after having found her Padawan.
Rey glanced down at the coolness against her jaw and found that it was Sage's lightsaber pressed to the pulse point battering away wildly beneath her skin. She frowned up at the other female, "How'd you find me?"
"You did very well for about the first half hour. Couldn't find you at all." The blonde removed her weapon and reclined back in the arms of the tree. "After that..." She scrunched her face up slightly and hummed lowly in what Rey could only understand as failure.
"Then, let's go again." The younger girl stepped away from the tree and turned back around to face the Jedi, a new determination burning in her eyes.
Sage sat up, suddenly concerned. "We've already done this three times just today, Rey. You're going to wear yourself out at this rate. You need to rest." She frowned softly down at the scavenger for a moment before she raised her eyes to the sky and noticed how the blues were beginning to melt into soft oranges and pinks. "Besides, it'll be dark soon. We should be getting back to the camp."
Rey shook her head, "I don't need to rest." She began to back away from the Jedi and watched as she slipped from the tree and landed quietly on the ground a few steps away from her, her lightsaber still held tightly in her hand. "I don't have time to rest."
Sage glowered softly down at her clothes and began to swipe away some bark crumbles clinging to the fabric. "What are you in such a rush for suddenly?"
"I've been thinking a lot lately..." She began slowly, watching her Master a moment as she shifted in place. "And... I've come to the conclusion that I'm not progressing quickly enough in my training." Still, the blonde didn't raise her head and continued to fuss with her pants. "Innocent people are being hurt by the First Order while I am struggling along each day to even... to even cloak my Force-signature!" She threw her arms up in exasperation. "I can't even properly read your mind!"
The young Knight sighed softly and shook her head, "Becoming a Jedi takes time, Rey. I've told you that before."
She growled softly and raked a hand back over her hair, "I know." The brunette stalked across the small clearing and sat down on the gnarled roots at the base of a massive tropical tree. "But... It's just frustrating because I feel so... so helpless." She buried her face in her palms. "Like I can't..." Her voice trembled slightly. "Like I can't do anything to protect anyone right now."
The Jedi felt her eyes soften slightly at the seemingly wilting form of her Padawan, distressed and troubled by their situation.
"Come."
Rey simply sat there for a moment before she was raising her head and peeking through her fingers to look up at her Master. She had her back to her and was looking over her shoulder at her.
"Why?" She whispered, defeatedly. "What's the use? I'll never be good enough. I'll never be as strong as you." She hid her face once more behind her fingers. When she next spoke, her voice shook, "I'll never amount to anything."
Sage felt her jaw lock shut suddenly in... could she call it... anger?
It was such a foreign feeling and even still, she wasn't sure if she placed the right name upon it. Nonetheless, she leveled a glare on her student who continued to hide her face in her hands as if she couldn't even look at her.
About a week and a half had passed since the Knight had returned to Ahch-To and therefore, resumed her tutelage over the young scavenger. Very much like the very first day back, Rey's training had involved a significant amount of lightsaber dueling. Each day, when the girl stepped into the training room and picked up one of the staffs, her confidence in the weapon only seemed to grow. She had made notable progress in skills but still had much to learn. Alongside her weapons training, her strength and stamina also began to build to the point where the brunette could race after Sage, their run along the Jedi path becoming a daily occurrence.
Alongside that, she had continued her studies with Master Luke and had fully memorized the 26 letters in Basic and was now set on practicing them whenever she could, a number of pages of old parchment riddled with her crude recreations of the alphabet on their surface lay down in the old library.
However, despite the progress she was making in the other fields, there was an apparent struggle to be had in her developing skills in the Force. From the afternoon that Rey had woken her Master and was able to feel very dulled emotions from the other female, she hadn't gained much leeway. She hadn't heard a whisper of the Knight's thoughts, either.
Indeed, she was still meditating numerous times a day and her connection to the Force was ever strengthening.
Sage had privately observed this and had come to the conclusion that perhaps her Padawan was simply having trouble bending, commanding, and shaping the Force to her will. She hadn't spoken to Luke about it yet but was considering doing so soon.
Still, she tried to sit Rey down and explain how to manipulate the cosmic energy in the numerous known tricks. Many times, Rey had tried an assortment of the different techniques under the blonde's watchful gaze, only to fall flat on her attempts, save for cloaking her own Force-signature but only being able to do so for a short while.
This was frustrating for the scavenger.
"Stop it."
Rey couldn't help but raise her head from her hands, her hazel eyes suddenly wide at the hissed words that had come from the woman across the way.
Sage hadn't ever sounded like that before.
"I've spent over 20 years of my life learning the ways of the Jedi. You've been at it for a little over a month." Rey opened her mouth to retort. "Don't. Speak. You have nothing to say that I wish to hear." The blonde pointed a finger sharply in her direction. The younger girl's mouth slowly closed and she bowed her head slightly, her eyes unable to meet the fiery gaze of her teacher. "Now, come."
Still taken aback by Sage's snapping, she rose from her seat and followed behind the Jedi who had turned sharply to march through the tropical trees around them.
Evidently, she had said something naive again and had pushed the Knight too far once more.
After following her for a few minutes, the jungle around them began to grow slightly darker as the sun began to set, the warm colors in the sky becoming more prominent as the blue of the sky began to evaporate into a soft lavender color.
Eventually, the roaring of the water falls grew louder and they emerged from the trees at the base of them, only for Sage to lead her further down along the gentle river's edge until they came upon the stepping stones. Without hardly pausing to rip the boots from her feet, Sage was leaping out onto the stones in hopes of reaching the smooth ledge out in the center of the bubbling pool.
Rey, still wary of the water, followed suite and also removed her boots before she was carefully jumping onto the rocks, her Master waiting for her while she rolled up the bottoms of her pants. Eventually, the younger girl made it out onto the platform and silently rolled her own pants up as well.
"Sit."
Not needing to be told twice, the scavenger placed her rear on the still warm surface and instinctively sat cross-legged.
Still feeling her anger simmering quietly in her veins, Sage stood with her hands clasped behind her back and stared down at her student, her blue eyes now frigid.
"Do you think you're the only one to have ever felt helpless before, Rey?" She growled quietly, surprising the girl with how soft her voice was despite her hard demeanor. "Don't you think I would have felt the same despair at being made to stand by - to feel the galaxy's suffering - while I could do nothing for the last 10 years?"
For a moment, the girl's eyes rose and held her Master's and oh, yes. Oh kriffing yes.
She understood now.
"Read my thoughts." The blonde commanded suddenly.
Rey shook her head slightly, her own eyes suddenly growing watery as her already despaired and withering self was only further beaten down by her Master's request. "I... I can't." She whispered, her eyes slipping closed as she bowed her head, causing a few tears to break free and slip down her cheeks.
Sage knelt down before her, her brows still furrowed, "Do it, Rey."
At her sharp words, the scavenger opened her eyes and once more looked up into the face of her Master whose own eyes still glimmered with a certain sternness that was foreign to her person. Nonetheless, the younger girl was suddenly fearful of a reoccurrence of what happened last time she had displeased the Knight.
Raising a shaking hand, she hastily wiped at her cheeks and took a steadying breath.
For a moment, she struggled to quiet her mind, the troubled thoughts of her self-doubt raging through her mind, creating a near impassible torrent of an obstacle. However, when she was able to open her mind's eye to the Force, she focused on the warm, addicting signature radiating off of the Jedi before her and she used it to ground herself.
Rey was able to slowly block out the storm of insecurities in her mind while she instead focused on Sage until her mind was like a pool of water, like the one that flowed around their physical forms except their was an absence of the roars behind them. The water was calm but ever flowing; a visual representation of the Force.
"Good... Now, push."
The voice of her Master didn't break her concentration and after a moment of again, steeling herself, she reached out towards the glowing aura before her, the tendrils of her own Force whispering by her.
Eventually, they brushed up against a wall, one that she had encountered before when REy had half-heartedly tried to see into the blonde's mind before back when she had first started her training.
When the wall failed to give, the scavenger began to press harder, her brow furrowing softly as she increased her efforts. For a brief moment, her encounter with Kylo Ren flashed back into her mind; how he'd tried to force his way into her head, tearing down wall after wall she'd attempted to place in an effort to distract him from what he had been searching for.
Wondering perhaps if it would help, Rey allowed her right hand to raise towards Sage, her fingers uncurling and her palm now exposed to the Knight. In that moment, she became the mirror image of the unmasked Kylo Ren that she held in her mind. Once more, she tried approaching the barricades in the Knight's mind when suddenly, a foreign hand was reaching out and grasping onto her own, the fingers calloused yet warm and firm.
"Physical touch amplifies the Force." Sage's voice broke through to her mind once more but she nonetheless began to push once more at the invisible barriers, only for them to slowly and quietly begin to fall away until there stood no obstacle between the two Force-users' minds.
This hadn't happened before.
For a beat, Rey was wary of the silence and emptiness that seemed to fill Sage's mind before suddenly, there was shrill laughter behind her. The scavenger turned and found that she was suddenly on a desert planet and in the distance, there was a small domed home that rose up out of the red sand that covered the vastness of the planet. There was also a number of buildings that rose up nearby including what appeared to be a shop that harbored both an old landspeeder and a dirty speeder bike as well as numerous other spare parts for repairs.
All was still for a moment before the door to the front of the home was hissing open and outstepped a man with a familiar shade of sandy blonde hair atop his head and a beard, matching in color, covering the lower half of his face. Around his waist sat a belt heavily laden with a variety of tools and only a few steps behind him, an ancient-looking, yellow astro droid rolled along behind him through the sand.
"Dad, wait!" Rey's head turned back towards the home and watched as a boy with dark brown hair, probably around the age of nine or ten, raced out the front door, a heavy belt, similar to the one the man was wearing, slung over his shoulder and across his chest, no doubt because it wouldn't fit around his slim waist.
The man turned back to look at his son and stopped walking, the droid coming to a rest beside his legs. "What are you doing out here?"
"Mum said it would be okay if I helped you today." He trudged through the sand in his smaller boots, his shoulder jerking the belt up higher so that it didn't slide off while his hand raised to hastily swipe the dark locks from his eyes.
"Did she now?" The other man raised his eyebrows in amusement as he spoke in his accented voice.
"Yes she did." A soft but firm voice echoed out from the dwelling and there was suddenly a lovely brunette woman emerging from the shadowed doorway. She was dressed in a long red, sleeveless dress and had what appeared to be a soft, rich brown shall tied around her waist so that it draped lightly over the skirt of her dress. Beside her was another child with dark hair like her own and large green eyes. His tiny hand was fisted into the fabric of her dress and his torso, which was still soft and rounded with unshed baby fat, was bare of a shirt.
"Go on, Jobe. Keep an eye on Daddy." The woman nodded to the boy who grinned and turned, only to race across the sand until he stood by his father's side. "Be careful and be home in time for dinner, Tomas." She looked sternly at her husband. "And don't forget to drink plenty of water!"
"Okay, Mum!" The two males turned then, the boy waving to his mother as they began walking towards the horizon, distant metal towers and spires breaking up the seemingly endless desert.
"I wanna go, too!" Again, Rey turned back towards the home and she felt her eyes widen as, all of a sudden, what appeared to be a smaller version of Sage appeared from the doorway as well to stand next to the woman, her golden hair just as golden as the older man's. "Momma, can I go with? I never get to go!"
"This is only the first time Jobe has gotten to go, darling." With her free hand, she endearingly brushed some of the girl's unruly hair from her face. "Maybe next time."
"But Sage always gets to go with Daddy...?" She whined.
Rey frowned.
Wait... What?
"Yes... but Sage is also a lot older than you, Sloan." Came a new voice - a familiar voice - and out from the confines of the house rushed the true Sage, the older form that the scavenger knew well.
She was dressed still in Jedi robes and her hair was long but seemed to be woven back into a braid so it was kept out of her face. Her cheeks also looked more rounded, more youthful. And she was smiling... which was odd to say the least.
She swept the smaller version of herself up into her arms and flipped her so that she could hold her upside down. A peal of delighted, high-pitched laughter was ripped both from the girl as well as the little boy who grinned toothily and pulled his hand free from his mother's grip so that he could run towards Sage, his chubby arms extended towards her, "Up, Sagey, up!"
"I can't forget about little Malik now, can I?" She bent down back onto his level and peppered his face with quick little kisses while she set the little girl back down on her feet. He squealed once more at her assault but seemed delighted nonetheless, especially when she took him into her arms and stood back up to her full height. He reached up and both his smaller hands took in handfuls of her long hair. She pressed a single kiss to his nose and he grinned once more.
She then looked down to the younger girl beside her, "How about we go clean up the speeder and go for a ride?"
Sloan's mouth fell open in delight and she began to bounce on her feet. "Really?!"
"You better ask your momma if its okay."
Immediately, she was looking up at the brunette woman, her sparkling, green eyes suddenly so pleading. "Pleeease!? Please, Momma!?"
Glancing up at Sage, the older woman grinned and laughed softly. Reaching down, she cupped the little girl's chin gently and wiped away a bit of dirt from her skin, "Of course you can, darling."
With a cry of delight the blonde child was racing away across the courtyard and the little boy, Malik, was wriggling in Sage's arms until she lowered him back to the ground so that he could race clumsily after his sister.
The girl turned to look back at the brunette and smiled at her gratefully, "I'll keep a close eye on them, Shandra." She promised and the other female smiled at her kindly.
"I know you will, love." Leaning over, she gently brushed some stray hairs away from Sage's face, only to tuck them behind her ear so that she could kiss her cheek and pull her into a side embrace. "They love having you around and I don't want to deprave them of what little time they get with their big sister."
It was quiet after that and they simply stood together, gazing out over the sandy planet for a long moment before the Jedi sighed and turned to face her once more.
"He seems... happier now. No longer so lonely." When Shandra turned to look at her, there was a softness lingering in her emerald eyes. Sage nodded in the direction of the forms of her father and brother as they began to shrink in the distance. "I want to thank you for taking of him while I've been away."
"He may not say it but he misses you very much when you're not here." The lady told her.
Sage sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, "I've missed him, too."
There was just blackness then as the memory faded and Rey slowly returned to her own body, breathing deeply through her nose as she felt the hand holding her own fall away. She lowered her own hand and allowed her eyes to open.
When she did so, she found that her Master was still seated before her and was watching her, the iciness from her gaze gone and instead replaced with a foreign gentleness.
"You forget that I have a family out there." Her eyes fell away from Rey's own hazel ones, her voice now soft. "And that memory... That was the last time I visited them." Her eyes began to grow glassy with foreign, unshed tears. She licked her lips and then swallowed thickly. "That was ten years ago."
"Ten years...?" Rey breathed, suddenly understanding entirely and sympathetic. "And you've been here all along...?"
"It's too dangerous to go back." A tear fell from her eye down her cheek but Sage quickly wiped it away. "The Order was watching them... waiting until I came back."
"You had to stay away to protect them." Rey mused and the blonde nodded slowly, her eyes distant as she stared at the ground between them. "What about the Resistance?" She tried, suddenly feeling responsible to raise her Master's mood. "Couldn't they go get help from General Leia?"
"The Order won't let them leave and vice versa, the Resistance can't get in." Sage was suddenly rising up onto her feet. "When you have a family, full of Force-sensitives, it's wise to keep a close eye on them."
"Your siblings are all sensitive?" Rey's brows rose in surprise.
The blonde nodded, "We tried to hide it but... in some way, shape, or form, yes." She turned away from her Padawan and looked off at the setting sun. "Some people have an affinity for certain aspects of the Force while others don't." She mused. "That's why I think you're struggling."
"What do you mean?"
Sage sighed, "Over the course of your life, you've conditioned your natural instincts to be strong. You've taught yourself to listen to the Force when it comes calling. That's why you're doing so well in saber training. However, now, we need to teach you to stop relying on your physical form and strengthen your manipulation of the Force."
"I was able to see into your mind, though...? That's progress, isn't it?" The scavenger cocked one of her eyebrows.
For a moment, the Jedi didn't say a word and instead walked over to the edge of the platform. Rey frowned softly over at her but rose as well, knowing that it was getting late and that they still had to make it back to the speeder bike so that they could set up camp for the night.
The blonde looked back at her over her shoulder suddenly, the sunset bathing her in the soft orange and golden light, illuminating her soulful eyes and making her look entirely inhuman for a beat. Rey felt her breath catch in her throat and was suddenly entirely entranced. It was strange how utterly dangerous she looked just then; almost as if she were bathed in the flames of burning villages.
"Perhaps you've always been able to read minds..." Sage spoke, staring unblinking back at her student with her temporary but nonetheless haunting amber irises. "And, perhaps, I was the one keeping you out."
The crackling of the fire and the sounds of the miscellaneous island creatures creatures coming awake in the night were the only sounds filling the air.
Rey lay silently on her side beneath a blanket with her head propped up on a small pillow, watching the dancing and flickering flames that ate hungrily at the pieces of wood that the Knight had collected a few hours prior. With every blink she took, she felt her eyelids growing heavier.
They'd eaten earlier, Sage having stood in the stream coming from the waterfalls for a solid half hour so that she could catch a couple fish that they'd then cooked over the fire and eaten. The rest of their meal had been made up of a bunch of prickly brown fruit but once the sharp, outer shell was smashed open with a rock, the orange meat of the fruit inside was sweet and near addicting.
Both of them had had their fill and were lying quietly, their minds slowly beginning to glaze over with sleep now that they were full.
The scavenger allowed her eyes to flicker over to her Master and found that the other woman was lying on her back, her fingers threaded together as they rested on her stomach, her eyes distant as they stared up at the twinkling stars that peaked through the thick foliage of the trees above her.
The mood had been pretty somber since their return to the speeder bike.
Sage hadn't had much to say since their discussion on the meditation stone and the once dulled emotions the woman had been emitting were now sharper, clearer, than before. Rey had even tried to push into her mind a few times and met only a little resistance which made her feel a little bit better about herself. However, when she had pushed into the blonde's mind, all she saw were glimpses, small flashes of memory that were playing through her mind, all of which involved her family.
Immediately, Rey had pulled back and kept to herself, not wanting to linger further on such depressing thoughts.
However, there were other worrisome ideas frequenting her mind. For the memory of what had occurred last time she had angered her Master was fresh; Sage had fled and gone entirely off-planet. There was a new fear in Rey that she would do so again.
"Master...?" She called out quietly into the night and there was a long moment of baited silence until she decided to speak again. "S... Sage?" She tried her true name timidly. "Please... don't leave again."
She glanced over at the woman and watched as her eyes slid closed for a moment as she breathed deeply, her brow furrowing softly. Sage then turned over onto her side so that her back was to her Padawan, "I'm not going anywhere... Not without you, anyway." She threw her last words over her shoulder at the girl.
For some reason, that simple reassurance was suddenly enough for the scavenger so she rested her head back down on her pillow and lifted her blanket higher over her shoulder.
Rey eventually both watched and felt Sage fall asleep, the once somber emotions in her mind suddenly leveling out into an intoxicating tranquility that threatened to pull herself under. After a few minutes of the Jedi resting peacefully, she subconsciously rolled over onto her stomach and tucked her arms beneath her pillow, one bare foot kicking out from beneath the blanket she'd pulled over herself earlier.
Despite the calming feelings coming from the other woman only a few feet away, the scavenger struggled to find the sleep she was searching for. She was extremely tired, that was definite, but for some reason, whether it be the plaguing thoughts of her doubt or the unfamiliarity of the tropical forest around them, she wasn't sure.
Either way, it felt like hours passed as she watched the other female sleep.
All of a sudden though, the blonde's brow was furrowing softly. When Rey noticed, she lifted her head off her pillow and reached outwards with her mind towards her Master, she felt a strange spike in the normally serene flux in the pool of her slumbering mind. Her eyes also began to move rapidly beneath her eyelids and the scavenger felt her interest peak.
She was dreaming.
Being careful not to wake her, Rey carefully pressed against her mind, seeking entrance once more, but found an unexpected bit of resistance.
Physical touch amplifies the Force.
Her Master's words echoed in her own mind and she bit her lip slightly as she tried to decide what she was going to do. In the end, however, her curiosity got the best of her and she silently inched closer to the other female so that she was able to reach out and touch Sage's forearm, her fingertips just brushing the exposed skin.
And that was all the contact she needed.
Rey was instantly transported into what appeared to be a massive garden where numerous soil plots were filled to the brim with all sorts of beautiful, blooming flowers and plants that seemed ranged up and down the entire color spectrum. Not a single hue seemed to be missed in the variety presented before her. There also seemed to be a large open plot of soft grass with a few trees shading the area, taking up a sizable portion of the courtyard.
She felt a looming shadow and turned, only to take in the image of the massive yet beautiful estate behind her with its grand archways and real stone walls. There was something... old about the place. Ageless. Seemingly stranded and preserved in one moment of time.
There was a distant wall encircling the estate's garden and the scavenger in Rey beckoned her to explore this seemingly ancient castle and its halls. However, she wished to see what was beyond the wall, for she could just gauge the distant green mountains and hills that loomed outside.
Weaving her way through the entrancing jungle of blooms, she found a set of stairs that led her up onto the next level of terraces. So, with her hand grazing the thick, stone railing, she ascended them until she reached the next landing which placed her nearly at the top of the wall.
Her breath caught in her throat as she dazedly walked to the railing until she was pressed up against it, her hazel eyes wide with awe as she took in the lake that sparkled like diamonds in the moonlight as well as the seemingly endless green that, sure enough, covered the entirety of the land surrounding the dazzling body of water.
She closed her eyes for a moment as they cool night's breeze kissed her cheeks and she breathed deeply, loving the mixture of the fresh scents that the planet provided for her senses.
It was startling how real this dream was.
Numerous insects' methodical songs and the wind moving through the towering trees covering the country side were the orchestral melody that played into the night air around her, causing her to sigh and then smile as she leaned agains the stone railing, perfectly content to simply bask in the beauty around her. However, all of a sudden, her ears pricked when she heard the bell-like sound of hushed giggling as well as the half-hearted "shhhh"s that tried to quell the infectious laughter.
When she squinted, Rey could just make out an exceptionally tall and thick figure moving in the moonlight through the tall grass back towards the garden walls yet there were two distinct voices talking quietly. Someone was being carried, maybe? Or perhaps a piggyback ride?
There was also a faint glinting of something as well and, unknowing how intruding on dreams worked, the scavenger ducked down behind the railing to conceal herself from the two figures approaching.
For a moment, they disappeared out of sight behind the side of the wall, Rey's angle causing her to lose sight of them. Then, all of a sudden there was a set of hands appearing on the top of the wall and soon a body appeared as well, the figure having pulled themself up so that they could sit on the top of the wall, one leg on either side.
They then bent down, evidently reaching for their companion and the first form teetered precariously on the edge for a moment, nearly falling back over the side before they grasped onto the stone with their other hand to balance themself. And, sure enough, a moment later, a small, lither form was joining the first atop the wall, something glinting in their arm as they cradled it tightly to their chest.
Deciding to get a better view, Rey moved closer, inching along in the shadows until she could hide behind one of the various garden plots, the plants offering sufficient cover.
The first form then swung their leg over the side and eased themself down so that they hung by their arms, only to evidently realize that the drop was too great. Nonetheless, they kicked off the wall and fell the few short feet to the ground, managing to somehow land on their feet, though they did stumble and let out an audible "Shit!" as they nearly face planted into the grass bellow, only for them to emerge out into the bright moonlight as they were able to stop their tumbling body.
Rey had to contain the audible gasp of fear that wished to escape her throat as her eyes widened as they took in the form of none other than Kylo Ren himself as he straightened back up to his full height before taking a moment to survey his surroundings.
Only... it wasn't Ren. It didn't... feel like him anyway. And he wasn't dressed in his inky black robes or had that stupid helmet. However, this man - this version of the man - and the terrifying figure she had come to know did share the same long, angular face, minus the jagged scar he no doubt now had.
Instead, he was dressed in a tight, sleeveless undershirt that matched the deep blue color of the night sky. He also wore a pair of rich brown trousers that were rolled up to his knees, exposing his pale bare feet and calves. His hair was different, too; shorter in length but still falling in soft, dark waves. But, the weirdest thing of all: his face was nearly split in half by the large grin he wore.
He turned back to the wall. "Toss them down!" He whispered loudly back up to the other person and suddenly there was something falling through the air. It glimmered in the moonlight as well and for a moment, it looked like the person on the wall overshot it and the object was going to go smashing onto the ground.
However, all of a sudden, Ren winced and grit his teeth, his arm lurching out, palm up, and the item froze midair, allowing Rey to see that it was a nearly empty glass bottle that had a few inches of amber liquid sloshing around inside. His brow furrowed softly as he then turned his hand over and lowered it gently onto the soft grass.
He then turned back to the wall, "You have horrible aim!"
"Oh, shut it." The second person called, their voice oddly familiar save for the fact that it held an accent. "Why don't you actually try to catch this one, yeah?"
Another bottle was suddenly sailing through the air and after a moment, Ren sprung forward and moved to catch it, this toss as bad, if not worse, than the last. Staggering forward, he was able to snag the bottle out of the air right before it hit the ground, this one thinner but taller than the last and filled with red liquid. It was emptier than the first one was.
Upon realizing that he had succeeded, he turned to look back at the wall, that unfamiliar yet rather charming grin on his face. He held up the bottle triumphantly and in response, there was a soft laugh.
"So, are you going to stay up there all night or do I have to come up and get you?" He said as he set the bottle down on the grass by its companion and walked slowly back over to stand just beside the wall, his head tilted up to gaze at his companion. He cocked a playful brow at them.
"You should help me down." They said matter of factly.
"Oh, really? And why should I?" He teased.
"Beeeen." They whined loudly in hopes of breaking his suddenly serious resolve. When he didn't crack, however, there was an agitated huff. "Fiiiiine. I'll do it myself!"
All of a sudden, there was a slender, bare foot appearing in the stream of moonlight on the wall and then its twin soon joined it. A set of calves appeared as well, the person lowering themself down the wall to decrease the height of their drop.
"Okay, okay! Fine!" He stepped forward while raising his arms, his eyes widening with his sudden fear, having thought they evidently weren't dumb enough to try the descent. "Here, I'll help you down!"
"No! I can do it! Get out of the way, you nerf-herder!" They began to half-heartedly kick their foot at his large hands that threatened to grasp onto thin ankles.
"Stop it!" He hissed, glancing back over his shoulder to check the courtyard behind them, afraid they were going to get caught. He looked back up at his companion. "You're going to hurt yourself! You're very drunk right now, Sage. Let me help you!"
Rey's eyes widened.
Wait... what?
"You're gonna drop me." Again, the voice whined but now that the scavenger had heard the familiar name, the voice was suddenly very distinct.
"No, I won't! I promise! Come on, you know I won't!" He continued to hold his arms up. Eventually, they gave up and instead allowed themself to hang there limply by their arms. Ren came to stand just beneath them. "Just drop, I've gotcha."
Lifting their feet once more, they resigned themself and lightly pushed off the wall, only to fall the few short feet into the man's ready arms. He caught them easily but staggered for a moment beneath their added weight, grunting out loud as he did so, the muscles beneath his pale skin rippling with exertion as he held them. An arm slung itself around his neck, allowing them to pull themself closer to the man's board chest.
He turned then, a small smile on his face, "Was that really so bad?"
The scavenger felt her heart stall in her chest as she gazed upon the woman who Ren held in his arms. Dark golden hair shone brilliantly in the moonlight and the large grin upon her face was shockingly foreign but didn't distort her features enough to make her unrecognizable. For it was, without a doubt, Sage.
Her Master. The Jedi Knight.
With Kylo Ren.
"Yes." Sage, of all people, giggled in response at her own answer but then laughed harder when the man's eyes widened and his mouth fell open in fake horror as if his pride had been wounded. "Okay..." She sighed, one of her hands raising so that she could cover her mouth in an attempt to sober herself. She gazed up at him beneath her eyelashes, suddenly silently asking for his forgiveness. "Not really."
After a moment, Ren closed his mouth and dropped the facade as he walked them back over to where they had left the bottles on the grass.
"Can you grab the bottles for me?" He nodded towards the aforementioned items.
All of a sudden, the smile slowly melted from Sage's face and she became all the world serious, her right hand leaving the man's chest to extend outwards. She cocked her jaw and narrowed her eyes in complete concentration.
Rey watched the bottles then, waiting for them to lift into the air. However, after a long moment, nothing happened. They didn't even wiggle.
"Ha!" The man threw his head back and released a single, loud laugh into the night air, only for more, quieter laughter to follow when he looked at the blonde's face and how scrunched it was as she tried to pull the bottles towards her. "You can't use the Force when you're drunk!" He chuckled again, shifting his grip on her. "Oh... shit. That's funny."
"Sod off, Solo." Her words were slurred as she continued to try and focus on the bottles, a task that seemed to be proving itself to be increasingly difficult.
He snickered at her, "If you keep doing that with your face, it's going to stick."
This seemed to suddenly catch Sage's attention and she turned to look at him, her features slowly morphing into a look of horror. "Really?"
"You've never heard of that?" He grinned.
"Beeeeen!" She cried suddenly in despair.
"Shhh! Shhh!" He shushed her, some spittle flying through the air and landing on her face but she seemed unfazed. He then glanced over his shoulder back up towards the looming building behind them, still fearful they might get caught. "I'm just kidding! That doesn't really happen. It's-We gotta stay quiet, though. Okay?"
The blonde bowed her head slightly, looking all the world sheepish in that moment. "Okay." She said softly through pouted lips.
He shot that charming smile in her direction once more at her compliance, "I'm gonna set you down now, is that okay?"
"Noooo." Sage whined again, her voice softer this time. She clutched more tightly to him, her arm looped around his neck constricting as she pulled herself higher into his arms, her bare toes pointing as she snuggled closer. "I don't wanna walk anymore."
"I've been carrying you most of the night." He corrected her but when she failed to reply and instead kept herself hugged to his torso he sighed heavily, "Fine. But, grab the bottles."
Bending down slightly, he lowered her closer to the ground in hopes that she could reach out and snag them with her hand. The blonde loosened her hold a bit and turned over slightly in his arms as she tried to reach for the bottles.
"Hurry up!" He grunted, adjusting his footing as well as the grip he had on her. "You're heavy and it doesn't help that I'm drunk!"
"I'm drunk, too, and the bottles keep moving." When she realized his remark, she glowered at the ground while she struggled to collect their things. "And you aren't exactly light either, Ben." She scolded him slightly as she tipped further, her fingertips just brushing the glass. "Should have left you in the snowbank." She mumbled quietly under her breath so that her companion couldn't hear.
Just as she was about to wrap her hand around the neck of the taller bottle, the man holding her straightened up, the strain in his back becoming unbearable for a moment before he took in a deep breath and lowered her once more.
However, he seemed to move too fast while they were both heavily intoxicated and Ren - Ben - took a step forward, only to stagger beneath Sage's weight in his arms, his footing failing him suddenly, "Shit!"
From the shadows, Rey watched as they both went to the ground then, Kylo Ren's form entirely engulfing her Master's for a moment. Twin grunts of pain were heard across the courtyard but the two of them were saved, having fallen on the soft bed of grass instead of upon the weathered stone.
For a moment, the two of them were unmoving and lay still before Ben was carefully easing his upper half onto his elbows so that his dark eyes could survey the damage he caused.
Sage lay silent underneath him a moment with her eyes closed tightly, her face scrunched up in discomfort beneath the heavy weight of the man who nearly had his whole body on top of hers. Her hair was also a disheveled mess around her head, some of it having fallen to cut across her face.
"Oops." He let out a single, quiet laugh and leaned his weight on one elbow so that he could reach up and clear away some of the wayward golden strands over her eyes. "You okay?"
"You're complaining about me being heavy, Ben Solo." She lightly thumped her fist against his chest, her other hand pushing against the opposing peck in an effort to move him. "I can't breathe! You're crushing me beneath your fatness!"
His smile widened for a moment as he rolled off of her but lay close to her on his die. He bowed his head slightly, only to shake it in disbelief while releasing a relieved sigh, ignoring her words for a moment as he chuckled.
"Hey. Guess what?" She giggled quietly all of a sudden, her hand raising to cover her mouth. When the he looked up at her, she grinned, her eyes crinkling. "I know a secret that Ben doesn't know."
He raised one of his dark brows, "What does Ben not know?"
"It wouldn't be a secret then if I told you."
"Well, now that you told me, I kinda wanna know. Come on, tell me."
"No."
"Sagey... come on!"
"Fine." She suddenly looked all the world serious. "Sage noticed that Sera-the-housekeeper-girl stares at Ben a lot when he's not looking. That Sera likes Ben."
"Sera-the-housekeeper-girl?" He teased her about how she spoke. "Is there another Sera that I know?" Sage lightly slapped his chest, not enjoying how much he was toying with her in her state of intoxication. He frowned softly after a beat, his mind briefly flickering to the aforementioned female, "How do you know? Did she tell you?"
"I can use the Force, Ben." She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I know everything."
He laughed, "You know everything. Okay. I'll play along." He propped himself up on one of his elbows so that he could gaze down at her face, a smile still on his lips. "What else does Sagey know?"
"Sagey knows..." She bit her lip and her eyes flickered around a moment as she tried to think of something. She couldn't currently read his mind. The connection between them was too blurred because of the alcohol. "Sagey knows... that Ben kinda likes Sera back?"
The boy scoffed and shook his head, his cheeks flushing nonetheless. "It looks like Sagey doesn't know everything like she thinks she does. Ben... thinks Sera is nice but Ben... Ben really likes someone else, actually."
"Why? Sera's real nice and she's got pretty hair." Sage's words were slurred.
"Sera does have pretty hair... but it's the wrong color." He grinned endearingly and brushed some of the girl's soft sandy locks from her forehead so that he could trace her features with his eyes. "And her face isn't the right shape. Her eyes aren't the right color." He smiled softly down at her. "She also isn't Force-sensitive."
Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open in both shock and mild anger. "Ben! That's not right! That's like... that's like... elitism... or something like that. You only liking Force-sensitives. That's wrong, Ben! I'm very disappointed in you!" She chastised him, pointing a sharp finger in his face.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." He held up his hand in defeat.
She seemed pacified for a moment, accepting his apology. She frowned then, though, her nose wrinkling up slightly. "You're really kinda... picky."
"No, I'm not." He scowled down at her for a moment before he forced his facial features to soften. "I just... I know what I want or rather... who I want." He brushed her hair back again and sighed. "I just don't know if I can have them."
He watched as Sage's eyes suddenly grew woeful, her brow wrinkling as she pouted slightly, "That's so sad. Don't be sad, Ben." She was suddenly wiggling closer to him so that she could press her forehead to his chest. "I won't let you be sad." She slung her arm over his side in an awkward attempt to hug him in their position. He himself wrapped an arm around her and drew her closer so that he could rest his face in her hair.
"I'll never be sad, Sagey. Not with you around." He whispered to her.
They remained curled together like that for awhile on the ground, simply relishing in each other's embrace as well as the hazy fog that swirled through their intoxicated minds, properly dulling the Force and the rest of the universe around them for a short while. It was only when he felt her chest suddenly expand as she yawned that he opened his eyes and drew back so that he could look down at her.
She had her face buried in his chest with her eyes closed. Her hand was fisted into the silky fabric of his shirt. He frowned, "Are you going to fall asleep?"
"M'tired, Ben." She said softly, her brow furrowing slightly at the interruption, only wiggling closer as if to block out his voice. "You're so warm."
"Noooo, don't fall asleep!" He whined and began to panic slightly, not wanting their night to end so suddenly despite the fact that his own eyes were beginning to grow heavy. "We're having so much fun!" He broke free from her hold and rose up onto his hand and knees quickly, his balance wavering for a moment as Sage groaned in annoyance beside him, having been disturbed by his rising. Her "blanket" had fled.
He paused where he was and widened his eyes in hopes of regaining his equilibrium. When he wasn't feeling nearly so clumsy, he maneuvered his body into a sitting position so that he could reach for the bottles. He picked up the one with the amber liquid inside. "Do you want another drink?" He picked up the taller bottle as well. "There's still a little wine left?"
"Uh uh." She mumbled, turning over so she lay on her back.
He shrugged and pulled the cork out of the bottle of his father's whiskey, only to tilt his head back and take a swig. The alcohol burned as it went down his throat and he pulled a face, his tongue sticking out at the sharp flavor as he replaced the cork.
"That stuff's gross." Sage shifted slightly on the ground, the grass tickling her skin as she lay there and watched him. "I don't know how you drink it."
"You drink it for the potency instead of the taste." He sat it back down beside the other, still frowning at it. "But, you're right. It's nasty." He glanced over at the quiet female. "How are you feeling? First time drinking wise?"
"Sleepy."
"I mean other than sleepy...?"
It took her a moment to search her own emotions, "Calm... and thirsty." He offered her the bottle of wine and she shook her head.
"Calm's good. Something you need more of." He mused and released a noise as he lowered his back to the ground, only to turn over onto his side so that he could lay back down next to her, his dark eyes taking in her still features as he propped his head up in his palm.
He couldn't help but allow a lazy smirk to twist his lips as he admired how her long eyelashes cast shadows upon her cheeks as she looked up at him; how her lips parted slightly as she breathed. How soft they suddenly looked.
As he lay there, admiring how other-worldly she looked beside him, he yanked the cork out of the wine bottle and tossed it over his shoulder so that he could bring the rim to his lips so that he could drink down the rest of the scarlet liquid in a few gulps. And, after numerous long moments had passed, the alcohol took its affect and filled his stomach with a pleasant, tingling warmth, acting as liquid courage so that his hands didn't shake as he reached over and carefully brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek, perplexed by the softness and warmth he found there.
"How about happy?" He spoke so softly, his fingers still caressing her cheek. "Are you happy... here with me?" She didn't speak and instead just gave two small nods. "I'm happy, too." Ben's lips quirked slightly for a quick moment before he shifted closer. "I'm always happy when I'm with you." He admitted, his eyes softening with endearment as he continued his feather-light brushes against her cheek, only to then move lower so that he could trace along the underside her jaw. "Thank you, Sagey." He whispered.
After a moment of silence lingering between the two of them, she frowned softly as she gazed up at him beneath half-idled eyelids. "For what?"
He was serious as he spoke, his fingertips still brushing her skin, "For tolerating me." Sage said nothing but one corner of her mouth turned upwards and one of her hands rose to brush some of his dark hair out of his face, only to curl it behind his ear. "For existing." When her hand fell away, she accidentally brushed it against his face and he leaned into her fleeting touch.
The two of them simply gazed at one another for a long moment; warmed hazel eyes clashing against sleepy gunmetal blue.
"Can I try something?"
The blonde's brow furrowed for a moment before she slowly gave him a single nod of her head. Upon receiving her consent, his heart began to pound in his chest.
Ben swallowed thickly and brushed the backs of his fingers along her cheek once more before he leaned over her and slowly lowered his head. He allowed his eyes to slip closed as he brushed his nose alongside her own, his fingers ghosting lower to gently cup her jaw. His warm but nonetheless shuddering breath ghosted over her face before he very tentatively brushed his lips against her own.
He felt no response after a long moment and pulled back ever so slightly, his dark eyes opening to gauge her reaction. Sage herself had her eyes closed and her brow was still dipped slightly in what he took as confusion.
For some reason, he felt himself flush bright red, "I'm-I'm sorry." He was about to pull away entirely and flee back up into the estate when there was suddenly a presence in his hazy, alcohol riddled mind. It was warm and gentle; so familiar to him.
Ben. Her voice was soft as it reverberated around in his skull.
He stared back down at the girl beneath him, the warm swell of her Force-signature heady and almost more intoxicating than the alcohol to his foggy mind. However, eventually she raised her hand and carefully touched his own cheek, her eyes scanning over his face as if seeing him suddenly for the first time. Her thumb gently brushed the ridge of his cheekbone.
For a moment, his eyes fell half-idled and he nuzzled his nose into her palm, seeking further affection.
Ben... Try again.
He released a shuddering breath and he settled himself over her further, one forearm beside her head while the other hand returned to her jaw. When he dipped his head once more, he was not as timid as he had been before, the brush of his lips against hers was braver, firmer, more insistent. He inhaled sharply when he felt the warm press of her lips as she kissed him back; how his heart stuttered uncontrollably before it was battering away wildly in his chest.
For a moment, their signatures merged together so that they were entirely indiscernible in the Force, the bond they already shared crackling sharply around them.
However, Ben knew somewhere in the back of his mind that neither of them where in any state to continue, for they were both far too inebriated to be making any sort of decisions. Another part of him whispered that perhaps Sage was only kissing him back because she was drunk and that once she was sober...
Sober Sage was Jedi Sage. And Jedi Sage knew about attachments.
However, if that was truly the case, then it was still wrong of him to take advantage of her. With much reluctance, Ben pulled away and opened his eyes, staring down at Sage in complete and utter awe for a moment. She herself gazed back at him calmly as if what had just happened was a common occurrence between them, her hand raising up to card through the soft waves of his dark hair.
His eyes once more slipped closed in pure bliss as he relished in her gentle touches.
"Come on." He sighed after awhile. "Let's get you to bed."
She merely blinked at him, "Okay."
Ben was then climbing to his feet and Sage slowly sat up. The man then staggered a bit as he struggled to gather the bottles up so that he could push them into the blonde's hands, which she accepted without a word. He then stooped down and curled his arms beneath her knees and then her back so that he could carefully cradle her once more to his chest.
The two of them were quiet for the most part after that, Sage, because she was dozing off and Ben because he had seemingly sobered as soon as their lips had touched, his thoughts racing through his head at a million miles on hour. After a few minutes, however, the blonde was opening the bottle of whiskey, causing her companion to look down at her. She took a sip, only to suddenly remember how awful the amber liquid tasted. She made a face and replaced the cork, only to set it quietly back in her lap and return her face to the warm chest beside her. Ben chuckled softly at her actions.
They didn't have any trouble getting back into the estate, the young Jedi having moved quietly down the shadowed halls until he made it to his own room. The doors hissed open quietly and, once inside, he crossed over the the languish room until he reached his large, inviting bed.
Wordlessly, he placed Sage on his deep green bedspread and pulled back the covers so that he could help her slip underneath. He reclaimed the bottles from her hands and tossed them so that they landed on a nearby cushioned chair, not sparing them further attention. He silently slipped into the bed beside the female who had rolled over onto her stomach and kicked one foot out beneath the covers, her face already pressed into his pillow.
Ben simply wiggled closer and draped his arm over Sage's lower back, allowing himself a final look at her slumbering features before he too allowed his eyes to close and allowed sleep to claim him.
Rey frowned from her shadowed corner of the room, still entirely disbelieving of everything that she had just witnessed. Was this a... dream? Or... was this a memory? Had this been real?
For a moment, she just continued to watch the two Jedi slumbering together, the entire scene suddenly... so peaceful. It felt unnatural to be seeing Kylo Ren so full of Light, so gentle and kind. So soft. So unlike what his current form was.
Sighing, she looked up from the two for a brief moment and gasped loudly, her body stumbling back as an automatic response. For just across the room in the inkiness, looming tall and dark like the shadows surrounding him, stood Kylo Ren, dressed in his typical black carb, the horrid mask once more upon his face.
His head snapped in her direction, seeming to have just been alerted of her own presence. She watched as his fists suddenly clenched and he was storming across the room towards her.
However, she shut her eyes tightly and wretched her arm back from the grip she'd had on her Master's arm, suddenly being thrown back into the real world and her physical body.
She was gasping for air, her hazel eyes wide as she stared at Sage who continued to sleep peacefully, her lips parted as she breathed softly.
Across the galaxy, he shot up in bed. His unruly hair fell down in front of his eyes and he raised a hand to swipe it back from his face.
It took him a moment to regain his bearings and fathom what he'd just witnessed. When he realized he was back in his room upon the Finalizer, his eyes narrowed sharply as he stared at the durasteel wall across the way and his hands fisted into his black sheets.
The scavenger girl. Had been in his dreams... no. Invading his dreams. Dreams concerning Sage, no less.
He frowned softly and scratched the back of his head. Had it been a dream? Or was it a memory?
It had felt... almost shockingly real. All of it. Far too detailed for a single dream. Too vivid.
Perhaps... Yes, then... Maybe.
He very faintly remembered the day, the visit to Naboo. He also remembered the beginning of the night from all those years ago; sneaking out with Sage after having stolen some alcohol from his parents' liquor cabinet in the kitchen. How they had crept out of the house and down to the lake to enjoy themselves while they could, his uncle still having failed to return to collect them because his mission called for his attention.
He didn't remember much after that though; they had emptied his mother's bottle of wine and had had their fair share of the whiskey. Neither of the two teenagers having any sort of tolerance to alcohol due to their Jedi studies so they were both affected pretty heavily.
Ren faintly remembered waking up the next day after that, his head pounding and stomach churning with nausea. Sage had still been asleep beside him and when she'd eventually woken, he'd asked if she remembered anything of the night before.
"I don't remember a thing," she had groaned with a hand over her eyes to block out the sunlight streaming into his room. "I don't remember anything after like the first half of the wine bottle." The wine evidently affected them even more once it had further fermented in their bodies, making them drunker than they believed.
Leia's weird exotic wine. That was the first and last time he stole from her collection.
"I hate you." She had groaned and rolled over so that she could bury her face further into the other side of his pillow. "I'm never going to drink any sort of alcohol ever again."
He remembered having smiled and laughed at her remark, only to groan as his own head throbbed sharply once more.
But, this... Why was he just now seeing this? Why was the fog just now clearing from his mind... if it was even even real?
His mind briefly lingered on the scavenger but she was quickly discarded in favor of instead focusing on the new memory presented to him. He couldn't help but hope that it had been... real.
Either way, even if it was a fantasy made up by his mind or if it had happened... His fingers uncurled themselves from his ebony sheets and his hand raised so that he could lightly touch his mouth. For a moment, he closed his eyes and he could still feel Sage's lips against his own. His heart simultaneously stuttered with delight and throbbed with the pain in his chest.
You could have had that. He reminded himself.
Well, that was unexpected.
Holy wow. I have been away for some time and I'm just going to step up and apologize straight away. I've been caught up with work and building cosplays lately so I haven't had much time to sit down in front of my laptop and actually write.
I will start off by saying though... This entire chapter didn't go as I originally planned. Well, the middle section maybe with Rey and Sage but the dream (or is it a memory?) at the end came to me in a heat-stroke induced vision from the writing gods.
Also, I just love Hound. And how Kylo can't admit that he kinda likes them, too. He likes to be bossed around sometimes. He likes challenges.
Anyway, I love all the feedback I've been getting! I have literally wept tears of joy because I keep getting reviews despite the fact that I haven't updated in almost a month. You guys... You guys are the MVP(s). I love you all so, so much. You are amazing.
Thanks to all who reviewed/kudoed/favorited/followed! You guys are the light of my life and are the reason why I keep writing! I love seeing your guys' predictions and observations!
I have to go now. I have work in the morning so... YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!
Love,
Blue
P.S. Go bother me on my tumblr at blueeyedwolf33
P.S.S. If someone makes me fanart, I will forever be your best friend.