The door of her cell shut swiftly behind the cloaked figure of Kylo Ren as he receded; settling into the tracks on the floor – a low, resounding tone to confirm that it was locked. Rey watched him with hazel eyes for the few seconds before he disappeared, mind mulling over the events that had just transpired.
Her eyes fell, as much as they could in that position, to take in the carefully wrapped, soft white bandages that now provided a barrier between her skin and the cold iron. The stinging sensation was gone, the raw skin protected, and she found herself relaxing where she lay – almost vertical against the restraining platform.
She wondered just how long she'd been like this – Kylo's injuries were all but healed, so it had to have been a while; was anyone looking for her? Finn or Chewie maybe? – an image of Han, collapsing as Ren withdrew his saber flashed through her mind and she closed her eyes against the loss. Shaking her head – as if it would make the past disappear – she resettled herself on the cold metal where she lay and quickly found herself drifting off to sleep. A slight sigh of relief left her lips as her mind finally went under – this time she was able to rest without being interrupted.
For the first time in what felt like ages, Rey slept without any nightmares or strange, foreboding dreams. A peaceful oblivion that afforded the best night of rest she'd had in years – even though she was restrained. She would've kept sleeping, if it weren't for the slight irritation in the back of her mind – not unlike the feeling that those first few rays of sun on Jakku always gave her in the early morning, except – there was no sun. There couldn't be, her room didn't have any windows.
With that realization on her mind, Rey hesitantly opened her eyes to see where the sensation came from – part of her already knew though, what she would find, or more accurately – who she would find. It wasn't wrong; when her vision came to and the blur left her eyes she was met with the image of Kylo Ren, back in his slotted mask, waiting patiently in that same chair in the corner of the room. Part of her wanted to be angry – to lash out – but some rational part of her brain drove her speech in another direction.
"So, am I going to wake up like this every morning?" She asked him with mock sincerity.
His head cocked like a curious bird as he looked back at her – or at least, she assumed he was looking at her based on the direction he was facing.
She finished her statement,
"With you, silently watching over me – brooding behind that mask?"
If it wasn't for the cover, she would've seen him smirk as he suppressed a laugh – instead she was only treated to a slight rustle of his shoulders beneath the obsidian colored cloak he wore – it was enough, enough to remind her that there was a human underneath those layers of black clothing. She'd only been awake for a day, yet she was already growing accustomed to his presence – although the mask was still an acquired taste.
"I'm wearing it because we are going out," he told her – fully aware that the garment made her uncomfortable – it made everyone uncomfortable, except for Snoke of course.
Confusion flitted across her features as she tried to gauge his intentions, she honestly had no idea what he could have in mind and she didn't really want to ask. Resigned to the fact that she couldn't fight back against him, she waited for him to continue.
He chose actions over words as he waved a hand in her general direction and the iron bands around her limbs fell away. Watching her carefully from the corner of his eye as she stretched her tan arms and legs, he entered the doors unlock code in order to retrieve the tray that waited in the arms of the servant outside. He waved the man away with apparent disinterest as he returned to her cell – relocking the door behind him.
Her stomach growled almost at the exact same time that the door to her room opened. A pleasant smell overwhelming her senses as she became embarrassingly aware of how hungry she was. A blush rose on her cheeks as she tried and failed to hide behind her hair as Kylo placed the tray down on the small table in her room. He beckoned towards it and she didn't even hesitate as she practically ran by him to take a seat in the chair that he had been in just moments before - eyes taking in the breakfast that was laid out before her.
For Kylo Ren, it was a simple meal – bread, eggs, juice. For Rey, it was a culinary masterpiece and she savored every bite, relishing in the knowledge that food could actually have a taste other than dust and plastic.
"I thought you might be hungry, you have been here awhile" he spoke as she ate the food, amusement clear in his tone despite the voice modifier.
That comment elicited a cough from Rey as the blush returned to her cheeks and she forced herself to slow down. Reaching for the juice, she took a sip – it was rich and sweet and extremely refreshing. When she'd washed down the food, she carefully wiped her mouth before turning around in her chair to face him.
"How long?" she asked as her stomach settled happily – it was the first real food that she could remember having.
"Just over a week."
"I was asleep that long?" she inquired with a hint of disbelief in her voice.
"We, I, kept you under so I could…" A pause then as he hesitated to admit the truth, "recover." Kylo Ren didn't want to admit that he had needed time to heal from the wounds he had received on Starkiller base – he didn't want to admit to any sort of weakness, but there wasn't any other excuse he could think of that she'd buy – at least not at the moment.
"Oh, I see." Is all she replied with before falling silent, waiting to hear what he would say – or do next. She'd heard the hesitation in his voice as he told her the truth, and part of her almost felt – guilty? – no she couldn't feel guilty she told herself – he deserved everything he got and more. Fighting with her mind to stay resolute on the matter, she turned her gaze up to meet his as he began to speak again.
"Come," he requested and, without waiting for a reply, he strode to the door and unlocked it. Stepping out into the hallway, he waited for her to join him – a dishevelled girl in tattered, sand colored clothing beside a tall figure dressed all in black – before he continued to walk away from the cell.
He led them to a large spherical room with a domed ceiling, half of which was comprised of tinted glass and afforded a breathtaking view of the distant stars and planets. The majority of the floor was made up of a semi soft rubber that infused each step with a slight bounce as they proceeded to the center of the room. The walls were bare, and the room was empty.
Rey turned her head at the sound of metal sliding against metal to see Kylo removing his mask – the simple yet intricate mechanism sliding back to loosen its hold as he lifted the contraption off his head. She couldn't help but notice the way his now free hair loosely curled around his face and fell just below the base of his neck. There was nothing harsh about the way he looked now without the helm, save for the pink scar adorning his cheek.
He turned towards her then and she quickly dropped her gaze – hoping he didn't notice how she'd been staring at him. "So, what are we doing here?" she asked him, pleased when her voice came out steady.
"You might be refusing to relinquish any information on the resistance and the map, but it doesn't change the fact that you need a teacher." He said calmly, "Without any training the power you hold is raw and dangerous – and not just to others…" he paused before continuing, "you could end up killing yourself – if you're not careful."
Rey couldn't sense anything but honesty in his words – no underlying motives or intentions, just the truth – and it shocked her. He believed that she had that much power, that much potential? It wasn't even two weeks ago that she was just a simple scavenger living on Jakku and now this? It was insane.
Kylo could sense her trepidation – it was rolling off her in waves as she struggled to comprehend the gravity of what he'd said.
"Don't get any ideas," he interrupted her train of thoughts, "it's useless if you don't know how to control it."
"I beat you on Starkiller base," she countered reflexively, a wave of regret washing over her when she noticed the angry twitch in his jaw - she took a step back from him then, surprise hitting her like a slap in the face when he didn't blow up in anger. Instead, he turned toward her with a resolute stare and stated:
"It won't happen again."
And then "sit."
He'd kept his temper once, so she did what he said and obediently sat on the soft floor, legs curling up underneath her as he followed her down and mirrored her position.
"Now close your eyes" he spoke in the softest tone she'd heard from him yet. Rey did as he said but was reluctant to lose sight of the man sitting before her – she didn't trust him, couldn't trust him, and as such, she couldn't stop herself from fidgeting.
"Relax" he told her both hearing the soft rustle as she shifted back and forth and sensing her hesitation, "I promise no harm will come to you."
Hearing his use of 'promise' immediately calmed her nerves – as if she were a young child and the simple inclusion of that word indicated that there was no reason for doubt. It seemed uncharacteristic for one such as Kylo Ren to promise anything, so when he did, she found herself inclined to believe him.
He began to speak again, this time in a very level, almost scholarly voice, "In order to use the Force, you must first learn to control it and to control it, you must first learn to recognize it – how it surrounds and flows through everything and everyone."
She could hear his intake of breath in front of her as he continued on, "I will open my mind to you, and you can follow my thoughts – concentrate as I do, see as I do." "…I would warn you against delving any deeper though."
She silently nodded her head at that, forgetting that he couldn't see her because his eyes were closed too – but he felt the gesture in the way her mind changed - focused now and intent on his words.
Rey felt his guard drop as if there had been a wall right in front of her this entire time and she carefully pushed forward – searching for his mind through the haze of her own. Kylo pushed back and suddenly they could see each other as clear as if their eyes were open – a scavenger girl facing a practitioner of the dark side of the force. In that moment though, titles and allegiance fell away as she felt his mind work – pulling at the space and matter that surrounded him, seeing that which wasn't visible.
It seemed so natural, following his lead as she concentrated on the spaces between the visible world. Clarity came suddenly as she worked, swirling bands that seemed, almost like wind manifested in a physical form, moving around and through the air – through her. Light blue streaks of energy that flitted back and forth happily, entering one space, and leaving through another – they seemed to be everywhere, everywhere but right in front of her.
There they were met with a similar energy, but this was different; dark and heavy with emotion – these bands moved slower, more methodically through the air. They swirled and coalesced around Kylo Ren like water, bathing his skin before pulling back to twist into his surroundings once more.
Both parties watched in a state of awe, as between them, the two energies seemed to meld together. It wasn't a harsh collision like one fighting against the other, but a perfect unison of fast and slow, dark and light, as the different colored bands mixed and separated before returning to each other once more. Dark on one side, light on the other but a rich warm blue where they met in the middle.
This was all new to Rey, but it was also something that Kylo Ren, who had trained in the force for years, had never seen before. To say the least, he was mystified at the sight that lay before him and he took in its beauty for a moment more before he severed the link that had formed between him and Rey.
A sigh of contentment escaped her lips as they both let go of the vision they were sharing.
"That was beautiful." She said, "I've never seen anything like it before."
"Of course, you haven't – you've never had a teacher." He replied sardonically and was met with a slightly exasperated gaze from Rey. Glad to find that she didn't seem interested in questioning what had happened between them, literally, he stood up and offered his hand out to her. To his pleasure, she didn't balk as she reached up to join her fingers with his own and allowed him to gently pull her up off the floor.
Rey was content not to say anything else after that experience and followed him from the training room as he led her back towards her cell.
He hadn't bothered to put the mask back on when they reached her cell and still held it in his hand as he stopped just in front of the door as it closed. Rey expected him to order her back to the platform, so he could reset the restraints, but she was met instead with silence and a conflicted stare as he watched her. She was beginning to grow uncomfortable in his gaze when he finally let out a breath and stepped towards her. She moved backwards towards the device in response– knowing that there was still no point in resisting, especially considering the lightsaber who's hilt she could see protruding from beneath his cloak.
"Wait." He called out to her and she returned her gaze to his. "I take it you still have no intention of giving up the map?" he asked, knowing what her answer would be. At this point it was extremely doubtful that the Resistance wouldn't have found his old master – Luke – but there was a chance, and Snoke still wanted the location – more than he wanted Rey's allegiance. To him her added powers were a benefit, not a necessity.
Resolve in her eyes as she met his question and replied "No, I don't and yes, I know what that means." Rey had hoped it wouldn't come to this again, but it was a foolish thing, she'd just been waiting for him to try again – to try and pry the map from her head.
He seemed to wince at her response and muttered, "I'd rather not do this, but I don't have a choice." The look in his eyes as he said that was almost pleading for a moment before it hardened and turned cold – locking out any and all emotion.
"Is that why you taught me today? Taught me how to see the force?" she asked him, sadness tinging her words, "so you could gain my trust – trick me into giving you the map?" Sadness turned quickly into anger and frustration with every word she said, any understanding they'd reached previously shattering in an instant as she returned his gaze with loathing.
"Go ahead then. Try it." She goaded him, mentally preparing herself for the pain that came when he tried to steal her thoughts.
On the outside Kylo was cold and unflinching as he raised his hand to her cheek, fingers resting against freckled skin as he tried to pull the map from her mind, but on the inside, he was – hurt. How fast she had gone from trusting to hating him again, from understanding to accusing – it stung, even if he wouldn't let it show on his face.
"I'm sorry Rey." He said, barely loud enough for her to hear as he pulled at her thoughts; tears forming beneath her eyes and leaving tracks down her face where they ran. This time he was careful to keep his own mental block in place as he fished for the desired image – she wouldn't be breaking into his thoughts this time.
Her head was screaming in pain by the time he finally drew away, resolved in the fact that he wouldn't be getting any information out of her today. She fell back against the platform, panting – an indignant pride in her mind at being able to hold him off again, but there was also a gnawing sense of sadness – that he had betrayed her. It was ridiculous she told herself, to think that, considering she was a prisoner – but after what they had experienced in the training room her view of him had changed, at least until this happened. For the brief time it took for them to get from there to here she had felt content and comfortable in his presence, like, despite their situations they had reached a mutual understanding.
Kylo could feel it too, that any progress they had made today had just been squashed – but he couldn't defy the demands of the Supreme Leader – regardless of how much he might want to. He allowed the fingers that still rested against her flushed cheek to gently brush away the tears that he'd caused, while he waved his other hand to lock her restraints back into place.
"I am sorry" he said again quietly as he turned from her and left the room, replacing the helmet on his head so that he could stop trying to school his features. He had to report to the Supreme Leader almost immediately and was glad that such a mask existed to preserve his countenance. Leaving her cell behind, Kylo Ren proceeded to the innermost section of the base – to the auditorium where he would convene with Snoke.
Frustration and sadness pulled at Rey's heart as she lay back against the platform – the cold metal once again reminding her that she was in enemy territory. She wanted to believe that he'd shown her genuine concern, kindness even, when he took her to the training room. The utter beauty of the vision she experienced, with his help, didn't seem like some cheap diversion tactic. It was raw and personal - a gift that not many people have anymore. She'd been comfortable in his presence, relaxed even – but he'd thrown away any trust she'd given him when he tried to reach for the map again. Why? Why bother trying to teach her, to be kind? If he was just going to throw it all away so soon after.
With literally nothing else to do in her immobile state, she continued to berate her mind with these unanswerable questions as she waited – hoping for someone to interrupt her thoughts. At this point anyone and anything would be welcome – just so long as she didn't have to torture herself over how trusting she'd been of the enemy.