The Oracle sat on the floor at the edge of the lounge room, her back against the large window that ran along the rounded wall of her comfortably furnished suite. Her internment kept her confined to what might otherwise be considered lavish accommodations. Her personal quarters consisted of a four room suite made up of a large windowless domed meditation room at the entrance. A narrow door to the right of the meditation room led to three additional rooms.
The first room, of multi-function, contained a small round table and seating for two,(though she was rarely afforded the luxury of company) , a lounge space with a deep low sofa in a soft grey natural fabric that faced a wall length holo-screen. The second and third rooms consisted of a bathroom and bedroom, a large bed with black coverings sat opposite another large floor-to-ceiling window looking out into darkness, interrupted only from time to time when few ships passed in and out of sight on their way into the base.
The Oracle extended her bare arm out over her bent knee, her elbow resting just at the cap, a small holo disc in her hand. She turned it over and over in her hand then stopped and clicked a button on the side, a tiny planet-like object floating before her. It looked like star-killer but there was so much less organic matter, the large metal eye at its center, threatening and ominous.
Hearing a familiar set of six clicks echoing from the next room, she sighed, stood and set the holo down on the table at the center of the room and reached for her cloak. In her own room alone her arms and legs were bare, a simple fitted piece of clothing covered what modesty she considered proper. On rare excursions she would wear floor length tunic or wrap from her minimal wardrobe, along with the requisite hooded cloak she wore for all outside interactions. She heard the doors begin to slide open and she pulled her hood up over her plaited hair, already feeling the hum of another mind entering the space. This consultation wasn't a request, he wasn't waiting as he normally did, not respecting the silence and meditation she was required to keep.
"Commander Ren" She said mildly, striding into the meditation room as the doors closed behind him. He was already at the center of the room. She began to circle him slowly, barefoot, her eyes shadowed by the cowl. Her gazed dropped to his hands, the knuckles of his gloves torn and bloodied. His barely contained rage swarmed just beneath his skin like fire through his veins. She looked up to his masked face as he addressed her.
"Oracle-" He began
"Aren't we in a state today Commander Ren…" She said cutting him off, ignoring his fevered words and the tremor of anger at her interruption.
"It wasn't there. You have failed to accurately locate the resistance faction." He said flatly ignoring her in return. He watched her circle him, feeling less in a position of power with each passing step, like baited bear watching the sword bearer. She paused, not turning to face him, instead watching the closed doors to the outside hall.
"You failed to find the resistance faction in the location I provided." She retorted smoothly, sensing his reaction as a deep burn in her chest. She felt his shame, his anger, the path he chose, a downward spiral towards violence spreading rapidly from thought to action.
It took four long strides for him to reach her, his lightsaber crackling to life. She couldn't keep from flinching a fraction of an inch as he reached her, his heaving chest inches from her shoulder.
"Perhaps if you are unable to provide useful information, you are of no use to the Order." The mechanical voice threatened, between the pops and cracks of the blade that hovered at the small of her back. This was new for him, he'd never been wholly kind or even civil during their interactions but he'd never been openly violent towards her. As a result, she was quite honest about taking liberties in their discussions, pushing him, taking out her spite or boredom on the beautifully dark and twisty young man.
"Angry…." she began accusingly, still not looking at him, her own anger and frustration beginning to show "Tempestuous…" Her own teeth gritted as she fought her own reaction to his outburst, "Unstable…" her words became calmer, but ran with an electric current to Kylo Ren's ears. "Brash… Boy." She finished inclining her head slightly towards him, a sliver of her face and pale grey eyes visible, staring defiantly at him.
"Insults will not deter me." He stated, managing to imbue his words with cold authority. He caught a small twitch at the corner of her lips as her chin turned up and away from him a fraction of an inch. "You will need to offer more service to the cause if you intend to remain a protected resource." He continued, the smirk vanished as she fully returned her gaze to the door.
It had been years since he had seen her face. She was already the Oracle when he had joined the Order, but at her younger age, her freedoms had been somewhat less restricted. She was still training in some other arts for a short time before she was unceremoniously removed from public view. He remembered a girl several years younger than himself being escorted away from the Supreme Leader by a group of never less than six storm troopers. A cloaked, sure-footed, deft, small figure with pale grey eyes and dark hair plaited in multiple braids and pinned at the back of her neck, no older than fourteen at the time. The woman in her mid-twenties that stood before him now carried with her the weight of knowledge he would never know, that he could not access himself. He saw in her gifts, in her defiance of him, the potential to quell his own imbalance, his own doubts.
"Of course, Commander Ren." Her voice carried softly but clearly "My only wish is to serve the Order." He hesitated for a moment, unsure of the sincerity of her reply. Her mind was difficult for him to access, her particular gifts kept him from being a mental match for her. She took a step forward, leaving him without being dismissed. Insulted at the disrespect, his arm shot out, leather gloved fingers clenching down on her bare wrist she froze, but he sensed no fear in her. Her muscles tensed as she reflexively pulled her captured hand up and away from him, careful not to back into the crackling blade at her back.
"You require counsel." She spoke firmly, struggling to keep the natural mockery from her insistent words. "You are brash, unstable, and angry." She punctuated each of the words she had previously spoken to him, enforcing the truth in them.
"I-" He began, loosening his grip on her wrist. Her muscles relaxed, feeling the resignation creeping into the imposing figure beside her. She saw the crack of uncertainty, of weakness and confusion in him. She felt the glimmer of acceptance, the possibility that he might – "It will not be necessary for you to personally consult on these matters anymore." He said flatly, dropping her hand and lowering his lightsaber to his side. "You will send directives and advice on military matters directly to General Hux."
"However…" She began for him, already sensing a continuation, but careful not to tread on the power he held at the moment.
He paused considering the command-request that beckoned just behind his lips, balancing his pride with the chance to rid himself of his temptations, to calm the storm within him. "You will provide meditative counsel." He the mechanical voice commanded, then his tone darkened, almost threatening "Seeing as you find me – lacking." She looked up at him as he turned to leave, the hissing red blade disappearing into the metal hilt in his hand.
She walked to the center of the room, moving a moment after he made to leave. "Yes Commander Ren". He paused at her acceptance and continued out and down the hall. She watched him go, remembering him as she first saw him. A tight shouldered teenager, dark eyes robbed of sleep and serenity, reporting to the supreme leader after battle, his cloak still smoking and smelling of ash, his boots splattered with mud and blood. She remembered the heat, the searing rage that emanated from his gaze. She felt his emptiness, his sorrow, the betrayal he felt and the betrayal he felt he had dealt upon others. She felt his righteous fury and his deep commitment to the Order. The storm within him was unavoidable to the young Oracle, rolling over her like thunder, striking into her very core like lightning. She had stared right into his unmasked eyes, dark and threatening, and had not looked away. He remembered her gaze.
He remembered that she had seen him as he rid himself of what remained of Ben Solo.
She remembered the small part of himself that he hid away on his journey into the dark.