((Also: The Vornskr are canon! I didn't make them up; they do actually exist in the Star Wars universe and they do have influence over the Force. I know they sound a bit too perfect! :D))
"Brendol Hux? Is that not correct?" The General walked placidly if not still a little staunch beside the Commander. Side by side, the height difference (minus the obvious heel in her boots) was undeniable but neither he nor any of the staff sliding glances at the pair commented on it.
"Correct."
"You can relax, General. There will be no consequences for you while I'm here." He took it on board but did not relax. His posture and his discipline were bred into him. It would take far more from the flirty Commander for him to drop that.
"Why does my name interest you?"
"You're illusive." She answered pointedly, not knowing a whole lot about the redhead beside her. "I wish to know more about you. Especially as you're a protected guest on my base." She watched as he took in his new surroundings, how he (unintentionally) inspected the uniforms and mannerisms of her staff. It seemed the only one lax in practice was Raina and that was only behind closed doors. Now, walking her base, she was dressed more or less the same as when he'd first seen her: complete with tauntaun crop and high heeled boots.
"Your father was also Brendol Hux, was he not?"
"He still is." Hux chanced a glance at the blonde female beside him to find she was already regarding him with a sweet sort of curiosity.
"He shot my father, did you know that?"
"I wouldn't put it past my father to shoot a Republican officer." Hux replied, maintaining his gaze on the female as they walked though they didn't seem to have any particular destination. "Did he kill him?"
"Sadly, no. He's still breathing down my neck. He got him in the shoulder, the scar is one of his most prized possessions nor does he stop talking about it."
Sadly, no. Hux remembered the conversation Raina and Vida had had a few days previous. It made sense that Raina would have disdain for someone who tried to tie her down when she was enjoying her life the way it was. At least Raina had had that freedom; Hux had no choice.
"But that was before you or I were even born. General." Raina brought him back out of his thoughts.
"Well…. Before I was born anyway. I don't know about you."
"I don't imagine there's too much between us, Commander."
"Well, I'm thirty. Vida is only a few months older than me." That struck a chord of surprise.
"Is she?" He asked, not bothering to keep the shock out of his voice. "She seems….. older."
"I suppose running with the Republic and running from it carry two different stress levels." Raina answered simply with half a shrug. "That and that bloody helmet can't be very good for her skin." That hadn't been one of the considerations behind the design concepts of the Stormtrooper helmets but why would it have been? Stormtroopers weren't known for their vanity and it certainly didn't seem to bother Vida.
Hux had been meaning to question about the two creatures that Raina was never seen without. Those two brutal beasts that guarded her every move and even the refresher door when she relieved herself. He had no doubts that if she ever spent a night alone (she seemed to have done just that since their arrival out of respect); she would never truly be alone as these monsters would probably be stretched out in her bed.
She would have confirmed it for him if he'd asked. Ugly and all as they were; they were impressive. Well trained, disciplined, intimidating; they wouldn't have been out of place on Starkiller or Finalizer.
"I've been meaning to ask…." Hux stopped, so did she and so did the Vornskr. "About those." He half turned and directed his icy gaze to the strange animals that had been shadowing them since he met her outside her quarters that morning. Their red pupils matched his. If he wasn't so confident he would have been unnerved. Raina looked too.
"What about them?"
"Well, what are they?" Raina started their walk again so Hux followed her.
"They're called Vornskr." The blonde informed him with something akin to fondness in her speech but he'd glance back every now and then at the creatures with subtle curiosity.
"Never heard of them."
"They're from a planet called Myrkr. They hunt in small packs which is perfect with just the two. They're brothers, my boys." She too glanced back, the way a proud mother would look at her children. "They're mostly nocturnal but I've had them for so long that they sleep when I sleep."
"They're fascinating."
"I didn't have you pegged as an animal lover, General."
"Not especially but I can appreciate a striking beast when I see it."
"I thought you'd like them."
"And why is that?"
"The First Order has this obsession with wiping out the Jedi. So do the Vornskr." Hux's eyes narrowed with slight confusion. How could an animal like that possibly be connected to the Jedi?
"I'm afraid you'll have to explain."
"The Vornskr…." Raina began, shifting her vision to the redhead's face. She wanted to see this reaction. "Are and have been trained to track, hunt and kill Jedi." The General froze but Raina kept up her casual saunter but stopped a few steps ahead of her companion. "I'm guessing they're the reason Kylo Ren is taking his time waking up." Hux looked ahead to the blonde who had now turned to face him.
"But…. How?"
"They too can use the Force." Raina explained, watching with a strange sort of satisfaction as Hux's face became even more confused.
"But…."
"They tap into the Force. Cut off the Jedi's flow to it and, I assume, tear whatever Jedi they happen across limb from limb. Or any Force sensitive for that matter."
"And how does that affect Kylo Ren?" They started to walk again, a round trip back to her office and Hux felt the respect for these creatures grow immeasurably. Why wouldn't he? If they could subdue Kylo Ren just by being there, they obviously weren't to be trifled with.
"Force users tend to have a quicker rate of recovery." The Commander relayed from her black leather chair upon the return to her office. The steaming cup of tea was held but not sampled just yet. Hux, however, didn't seem to notice the blistering temperature of his black coffee as serious sips were taken.
"But at the moment, he's displaying the same level or recovery as a non-Force user. He's on a par with the rest of us, if you will. I believe it's down to the Vornskr." The General's eyes trailed to the animals resting (as usual) on either side of Raina's chair. "That's why Force users don't do well on my base. Though I must say, he's the first one in a while." Hux nodded, gaze shifting from the black beasts to the blonde opposite him.
"And are they trained to-?"
"No. Track and hunt, yes. Kill? No. That said, I've had them since they were a few weeks old. They're bonded to me and I to them. If my life was in danger, I have no doubt that they'd revert back to natural instincts to protect me." The General was quiet and looked back to the dozing creatures. They looked strangely peaceful now. Not quite so savage. "Vida tells me he gets under your skin." Raina noted lightly after a few moments, watching Hux over the rim of her cup as his interested seemed to intensify. "I would gift one to you but like I said: Bonded."
"There's no need for that." He replied with gentle dismissal, going back to his coffee and Raina.
"It must be quite trying. Dealing with that level of immaturity and pettiness. For a man of your stature at least."
"He gets things done." Hux admitted but barely. Could all this have been avoided if Ren had left the girl and captured the droid like he was supposed to? Probably. "But not without drama. Like you said; trying."
"Strange isn't it, General? You have the likes of us and Vida who have striven for where we are now and then there's him…. He's given partial command of a ship and a number of Stormtroopers and yet, he knows nothing of what it is to actually take orders in order to give them." She had a point. "Amazing how you haven't killed each other really. I mean, there's him: Unpredictable, volatile, ignorant…. And then there's you; intelligent, disciplined, experienced…."
"Commander…."
"Raina."
"I don't see why we need to divert from ranks when we address each other."
"Well, I'd rather you called me by my name when we're not attending to business or about the base. I'll still refer to you by rank, if you prefer."
"And how is that fair?"
"We might be on opposite sides, General. But technically, you're still my superior." Hux felt a squirm in his stomach. It was like she could smell it. Raina let that sink in for a few moments. She sat forward in her chair and set her cup down carefully. "I must say, General…" She crossed one leg over the other and rested her folded hands on her lap. "You have more control and restraint than any man I've ever seen." Where was she going with this? "Or do I just terrify you?"
Hux lifted his head slightly to take her in fully. She was watching him, almost like she was coercing him.
"Speak plainly, Commander." There it was again.
"I genuinely thought I'd have had you in bed by now." Raina tilted her head to reinforce the coercion. He wanted plain? She'd give him plain. "Several times over in fact. Truth be told? I thought I'd have you the first night you set foot here. Why is that? Do you even find me attractive? Why did I fail with you when I've succeeded with…. Well, everyone else I've set my eye on?" Hux cleared his throat, trying not to sound embarrassed and set down his own cup. So they were actually talking about this.
"First of all, yes. You do terrify me. I have never met such a confident, self-assured female in all my life. Secondly, I find you extremely attractive, even on a level I didn't know attraction could stretch to. And thirdly, who said you failed?" Raina arched a perfect eyebrow as a small smirk pulled at the corner of her mouth.
"Oh?"
"I have been preoccupied of late. Starkiller was…. A great loss. Both personally and to my career."
"Well, General." Raina was certainly more reassured as she slowly got to her feet and strolled her office casually, roaming dangerously close to his side of the sofa. "They say finding comfort in another can be a great way to deal with loss." She found herself leaning on the back of the couch behind him and leaning in over his shoulder, the ends of her blonde kinks tickling the side of his face. "You see that door over there?"
"Yes?"
"That's my bedroom. If I'm not around the base, I'm in here or in there. Just something to think about."