tushanshu_logs | Finding your footing (June catch-all)

Entry tags:

Finding your footing (June catch-all)

Characters: Kylo Ren and OPEN
Date: all throughout June
Location: around Keeliai
Situation: Catch-all post. In June, Kylo is still orienting himself on the turtle, trying to research his new home and just all around making sense of his new life.
Warnings/Rating: no warnings except for Poe thread (which has violence, blood)

Palace Gardens & Libraries – Sky Sector

Kylo Ren had never been all that fond of parks and gardens, though he did not actually loathe living things despite his best attempts to appear dark and gloomy. Yet oddly enough, you could find him on the old palace grounds in the Sky Sector on most days, a dark cloud of grumpiness amidst his pleasant surroundings.

Every day he visited the grounds, he would spend at least an hour or two meditating someplace quiet in the gardens, perched in the grass with closed eyes and a small frown of concentration on his face. He was searching out the source of dark power he could feel all over the city in small scattered spots, yet which seemed to be strongest in the Sky Sector.

Most times he visited his meditation would be followed by a visit to the palace library, where he would be focused on the rows holding books about the history of the land, the kedan, and this city in particular. He could be found floating stacks of books around, and grumbling about the lack of proper technology for his research.

around town, especially bazaars and the Courtyard of Public Opinion

When he wasn’t meditating, Kylo Ren could often be found awkwardly trying to mingle with the kedan in all the places where they gathered. He could be seen trying to start conversations with the locals and get information. His lack of social skills certainly was his biggest obstacle in this, as he would often offend people, or scare them away even if they were friendly at first. If you watched him long enough you would notice he was particularly interested in the history of the city, and among this most of all the Cultists he had only heard whispers about.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Poe hasn't given up on the hope that BB-8 could be around the Turtle somewhere. Tu Vishan was huge and after a week of searching there was still not sight of the droid.

The pilot knew that BB-8 would have avoided crowded places where merchants and traders could try to snatch him to either sell them or use it for part. His little friend was smarter than that, especially after Jakku. That's why he looked for the droid in wide areas and ended heading towards the palace's garden.

Kylo Ren was on the way to one of his favorite meditation spots under a large tree when he caught sight of a familiar orange flightsuit, and once he looked closer, an even more familiar face.

Dameron. Perfect. He had been hoping for this opportunity ever since Dameron arrived.

He approached him straight on, as if they were old friends running into another. A courteous nod, a mockery of good manners. "Commander Dameron." Even his voice was pleasant enough. "Are you enjoying the sights?"

Focussed as he was in looking for any sign of BB-8, Poe didn't hear him approaching. Poe looked over his shoulder, raised his eyebrows at the strange man and blinked. The voice was somewhat familiar but still hard to identify now that Kylo wasn't wearing the mask that distorted it. The dark clothes, however, were unmistakable.

Many thoughts went through Poe's mind in rapid succession, none of them good, and he hard to fight the urge to reach for the blaster gun in his thigh.

Instead, he turned again, ignoring Kyo completely.

A muscle twitched in Kylo's jaw. An ugly expression flickered over his face before he could force it back into a mask of neutral pleasantness.

"So quiet now, pilot?" he asked, voice lowered to barely above a murmur. He took a small step closer to Poe, slow and cautious as you would approach a skittish animal. "I remember you had a lot more to say the last time we ran into another."

Poe took a deep breath, then another. He tried to look uninterested and only years of being trained not to reach under stressful situations stopped him from turning and smashing his fist against Kylo's face. It would have been satisfying, if not also terribly useless.

Straightening his back, muscles tense like a piano wire, Poe kept his ground. It wasn't easy when Kylo was moving close, talking to him as if they were old childhood friends or coworkers.

"The last time we ran into another, Mr. Shudder was kicking you out of his establishment."

"Ah... That." At his sides, Kylo's fingers balled to fists. His eyes were spellbound by Dameron, he hungrily took in the tautness of his body. If he reached out and touched him, would that make him snap? Kylo wanted to see him snap. He wanted to know was stronger in him, fight or flight.

"Let's forget that bout of unpleasantness, shall we?" And now he did reach out to place his gloved hand on Poe's shoulder. "We have so much fonder memories..."

If making him even tenser is what Kylo was aiming for, he certainly succeeded. Poe wasn't buying the friendly act, knowing very well what Kylo was aiming for, and the touch brought back some unpleasant memories.

He felt a strange unpleasant knot in his stomach and wondered briefly if shooting Kylo's stomach at point-blank could actually kill him or just made him more obnoxious.

"Oh, we do." Poe felt anything but amused but a wolfish grin still appeared on his face. "My favorite is still seeing Rey ruin you."

His hand tightened around Poe's shoulder as a familiar flare of rage burned through him. Of course he would use that. Of course.

Kylo yearned to reach out with the Force and tighten invisible bands around Dameron's throat. The noises he would make would be beautiful, no doubt. And yet... it would break this delectable tension.

"Funny," he responded, voice still soft, though it was tense now with barely, badly concealed fury, "my favorite memory is me ruining you."

A wave of anger crashed into Poe and it took all his willpower not to yank his shoulder free. It was even more upsetting, if possible, to see the face behind the mask. To know it was just a man of his age like any other, but with so much anger and poison inside him. This time, it was Poe who took a step closer, his hands balled into fists at the end of stiff arms.

"You are a sad, pitiful man."

A man that looked familiar too. There was something on Kylo's eyes that was familiar, something that nagged at the back of Poe's mind. But he didn't let that distract him. If Kylo wanted to play a cat and mouse game, he was going to end bitten too.

"And a fool, if you even think that what you do will get you any respect."

Kylo's eyes flashed. Oh, there it was. That defiance he had first seen on Jakku, and not quite managed to break on the Finalizer. And right now he realized how much he still wanted to break it.

"A fool, am I?" They were so close he could swear he felt Dameron's body warmth seep into him. "What does that make you then, pilot?" he snarled. "You who think you can defend yourself with your little quips and a blaster..." He looked down to note that yes, he still bore it. "Do you want to shoot me, Dameron? Why don't you try? You're too close, I couldn't stop the bolt this time."

And then his hand released Poe's shoulder and his fingers closed around thin air. Not enough to fully steal his air, certainly not enough to crush, but he wanted to see fear. Maybe a plea. Maybe, even better, see Dameron on his knees again. "But you're too slow. Always too slow, Dameron."

Why, yes, Poe would very much like to shoot him. He was thrill seeker but not stupid enough to imagine it would do any good. Force users could sense that sort of intentions from a mile away and Kylo was purposely trying to get him to react

If Kylo was hoping to see a plea, however, he would die from old age before it happened. Anxiety and frustration made Poe's chest tighten when his air flow was compromised. It was almost as bad as having Kylo rummaging into his head, mind-tendrils spreading and prodding, the man's presence so strong that it felt like his mind didn't belong to Poe anymore.

Poe shook his head to clear his thoughts. He got lost in the memory of the Finalizer rather than the current pressure in his throat, but the pain brought him back to reality. Kylo was right. What could Poe do to stop him? He was blind to the Force. He didn't have a lightsaber or Kylo's fighting skills. Statistically, he had run out of luck.

"You ...know...what..."

Poe took a step forward and forced his tense muscles to move properly, wondering if Kylo was the last person he was going to see before his brain stopped working from lack of oxygen.

They were close, so close now that a clueless bystander might have confused them by a pair of old friends, maybe even lovers. It was the pilot who reached out to put his left hand on Kylo's shoulder, pulling him closer.

"...I don't believe in the odds." With the last of his strength, Poe pressed the barrel of the blaster pistol against Kylo's side and fired.

There was no surrender in Dameron's eyes, even now that he had him back in his hold as surely as if he were shackled to that chair on the Finalizer he was still so defiant... Ren couldn't help but feel some grudging respect for it, even as he burned to bleed the defiance from him.

Torture was rarely ever a personal affair for him, it wasn't a luxury you could afford if you wanted to do a good job. But the moment he escaped his cell, and thus Kylo's grasp, Dameron had made it onto the short list of people for whom Kylo would gladly make an exception.

When Dameron stepped closer and even clasped his shoulder Kylo felt a triumphant thrill run through him. Dameron was finally ready to play this game.

He meant to tighten his hold around his throat when a niggle of warning caught his attention. He twisted away from the man he had just gotten close to, just as he felt the nuzzle of a blaster press into his side. Dameron was still holding him close, and there simply wasn't enough time, the warning had come too late. The blaster bolt didn't hit him head on, but he didn't twist away quickly enough to fully escape the destruction.

Heat exploded against his side, followed by burning as if a chunk of his side had been blown away for the second time within the month.

With a howl of pain Kylo Ren fell to his knees and clutched his side. Blood seeped between his fingers. He raised his head, snarling at Poe, and thrust out a bloody hand. And this time, he squeezed. "I'll kill you for that, Dameron!" he wheezed, "I'll crush your throat and dump your corpse at her feet!"

It was not a very positive thought but Poe wasn't even going to lie to himself and say that hearing that how of pain didn't bring him joy. The pilot was very aware that his relief won't last, Kylo was still alive and pissed off, and there was nothing more dangerous than a Dark user channeling pain and rage to use his powers. And yet, he didn't regret it one bit.

He thought of General Solo and Chewbacca...and General Leia. Leia, who had seen too much death, who had gone through so much pain and loss. No, he couldn't find it in him to regret it.

The pressure around his neck made him fall this knees. The edges of his vision blurred and darkness started to seep in from the corners of his eyes. He couldn't hear anything over his own heartbeat thumping in his ears but he could imagine the sort of threats Kylo was shouting at him.

He laughed harshly when Poe fell to his knees. He tried to stagger back to his own feet, revitalized by his enemy's defeat, but his legs wobbled under him and he sank back to his knees.

"You look so much better in the dirt, Dameron," he gasped, laughing though he was kneeling in the dirt himself. But he could see Dameron's eyes go unfocused, so he released his chokehold for a moment. He let the man take two desperate breaths before he closed his throat again. "You won't black out on me yet, Dameron, not yet, I'm not done with you yet."

They'd been so close that Kylo could easily reach him, haul him up by his collar and pull him close with what pain-fuelled strength remained - once again creating a picture of intimacy. "I'm going to tear you into pieces before you die."

From afar, if you didn't notice the blood soaking his black robes, or the color of Poe's face, it would indeed look as if Kylo was pulling him close for a passionate kiss.

Edited 2016-06-01 23:10 (UTC)

Hux was doing his best to keep himself busy, especially considering he was homeless, definitely through no act of his own. After trying to function like a normal person for a while, he needed a breather. The last thing he wanted was to be around anyone who annoyed him, or whom he hated. Or both.

Unfortunately, this was exactly what he got when all he wanted was a pleasant walk in the gardens. Upon first observation, Hux assumed exactly what anyone else would've assumed Ren and Poe were up to. He was prepared to chide Ren for his poor taste, until he realised what was really going on once he was closer.

Hux didn't care who started it; all that mattered was that Kylo-kriffing-Ren was injured again, and Hux was simultaneously irritated at Ren for being stupid and furious at Dameron for injuring Ren. He didn't say anything at first, even after he was extremely close. Instead, he shoved Poe away from Ren and onto his back. A well-placed boot pinned his shoulder to the ground as he reached down to yank the soul gem bracelet from Poe's arm.

He didn't actually know what the absence of the gem would do to Poe, but it was supposedly important, and that was all that mattered in his petty vengeance. Hux stepped away afterward and turned his attention to Ren instead, intent on getting his idiot comrade to his feet.

"Do I need to hire a babysitter for you?"

Everything was happening too fast for Poe's panicked brain to process. Kylo's laugh rang in his ears and when his throat opened he tried to take a ragged breath before the air flow was cut off again. It only made his chest burn as if his lungs were about to collapse.

Poe managed a snarl, words were beyond his ability to speak properly, and glared and Kylo when he was pushed against his chest. If looks could kill, Poe's profession would be staring. A second later he was yanked back onto the ground less than kindly. There was a blur of red hair and pale skin, a piercing pain in his shoulder and a feeling of loss that shook his very core.

It took Poe a second to realize that the bracelet with his soul Jewell was no longer in his possession. He started to felt sick on top of being unable to breath and his hand clawed at Hux's leg, desperately trying to get him to move.

"That one was mine!" was the first thing that burst out of Kylo Ren's mouth. His gaze returned to Poe, torn out of his grip and pinned underneath Hux's boot. He almost felt like pouting, because this was the second time within as many weeks that Hux had interfered with his games.

And then he had the cheek to berate Ren, too.

He pressed his hand tighter against the wound as if he could push all the blood back inside by sheer stubborn willpower. It forced a hiss of pain from him, but that was worth it. The sharp stab of pain cleared up his mind, which he badly ended. "I was doing fine! I don't need any help!"

"Do you think I care?" Hux apparently did care, to some extent, since he was going out of his way to save Ren all the time. But that was limited to his well-being in a purely professional capacity. He didn't care whether he'd interrupted some weird hatefuck or murder party. Ren was just going to have to deal with it.

Hux almost laughed in the most bitter way at Ren's proclamation. "You're fine and don't need help. Of course not. You've got this perfectly under control, and you weren't just letting some lowly pilot best you. Quit being a bloody imbecile and get up. You're injured and there's little point in hanging around here now."

Either of them could've taken a moment to finish Poe off, but one glance over at him and Hux decided it was hardly worth the effort. From the looks of it, he was in bad shape and allowing him to live would cause more suffering. Hux saw no problem with that.

Han hadn't expected a trip to the library to run him into his alternate world son again. He and the Hux guy were arguing over something, but that wasn't what caught his attention. The young pilot, Poe was. It was obvious they'd been fighting and the kid was in bad shape.

Han's brain was telling him to just get away from the group, but although he did often live by looking out only for himself in the past, he wasn't that man anymore. He couldn't just leave the kid there to die.

The only thing he could think to do was to pull his own weapon. The blaster had made it through since it was on his person, and the best way he could think to handle it.

He edged closer, the blaster leveled, his gaze flicking between the two still on their feet and Poe.

"Yes, get out of here and let him alone." he said, having overheard Hux's last few words.

Although Hux had moved, Poe still couldn't find it in him to stand up. He tried but his legs buckled underneath him and collapsing on the ground did nothing to help his dizziness. Poe focused then on his ragged breathing now that he could get some air in his lungs.

There was an odd feeling, like a growing agonizing pain throughout every nerve. It seared his body and fried his muscles; if that was having your soul ripped away from you felt like, Poe just wanted it to stop immediately. He heard a new voice, familiar and reassuring, even if distant to his ears.

Edited 2016-06-03 00:11 (UTC)

Kylo growled at Hux's nagging, he painstakingly tried to force himself back to his feet. But before he could manage this, a new familiar voice diverted his attention.

"Dad, what are you doing here?!" it slipped out before he could censor himself.

He swallowed hard at the sight of his almost-father pointing a blaster at them. He wasn't even talking to Kylo, didn't seem to be paying all that much attention to him at all, but it still wounded him. He must have noticed that Kylo was injured.

Kylo forced himself back to his feet, gritting them against the pain that made the world flicker dark before his eyes. But he had his pride, and he wouldn't ask Hux for help. He had fought battles with worse wounds. He could certainly walk away under his own power.

"I was just leaving, General."

The last thing he needed was more people showing to the scene and this suddenly becoming a bigger deal than it was. It was bad enough that Ren was bleeding everywhere, and while he didn't particularly care about Dameron's well-being, obviously, Hux didn't want to be standing around aimlessly while things got worse.

Han Solo showing up was a distraction, as far as he was concerned, and he was intent on making sure that Ren didn't do anything stupid again on his watch. He glanced over at Han, but said nothing and focused his attention instead on Ren.

The bracelet was still clenched in one of his fists, though not visible at the moment. "Then get going." He was going to let Ren hold onto his pride, at least until they were out of view, or until Ren absolutely needed assistance.

Han did pause at being called 'dad', and he had noticed Kylo was hurt pretty bad as well. Under normal circumstances, he'd definitely try to help his son first and foremost, but he got the feeling this alternate son would probably try something he wouldn't like if he did.

"I was just passing by...then I came across this. I may still be something of a scoundrel at times, but leaving someone to bleed to death isn't my style." he replied.

He bent down, trying to judge if Poe could even get up or not. Since he'd tried standing once, Han slipped an arm around him. "THink you can get up and stay there if you lean on me?" he asked.

Something else was sticking out as well. Everyone here had some kind of jewelry that always had to stay on, or they'd face serious consequences. Han didn't see one on Poe anywhere.

"Wait...the gem thing...where is yours? Did one of these two take it?" he asked.

"Yah, I'll try.....t-thanks..." Poe leaned against the man supporting him in his dizzied state and managed to stand up. He still felt sick all over, his tan skin was starting to get flushed and droplets of sweat were dripping from his temple. He gave Han a tired look before his attention went back to Kylo. He hadn't missed Ren's call, it really made no sense to him but Poe felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach after the realization.

"Ben..Solo....? But you died, you can't be him...."

The pilot suddenly grimaced when another bout of nausea overtook him. His body ached all over and the pain in his chest worsened but he managed to glare at the redhead and answer Han's question.

"Him. Hux, give me that back..."

"Shut up, Dameron," he growled, sending him a vicious glare which promised more pain if he dared call him by that name again. "Shut up before I make you." He glanced back towards the man who was almost, but only almost, his father. He hadn't made a big deal out of his slip, but of course Dameron had to go and ruin it.

Much to his dismay, he ended up pressing his hand against the wound in his side since the movement had sent a new wave of blood gushing out of it again. He hated to show even so much weakness, most of all when everything was spinning out of his control.

Despite the pain and the darkness that flickered before his eyes again with the fresh wave of pain, he started to stomp away, calling over his shoulder, "give him the damn thing or destroy it, Hux, I don't care. But I'm leaving."

June 3 |Palace Gardens - Friday afternoon| What could possibly go wrong?

ooooh garden date *swoon*

Lovely date~when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that's amoreeeee ~

When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine That's amore

There are loves that kill, they say.

Don't go messing with love, it'll hurt you for real

No lie. He's thinking about getting himself a taser, he's heard you Sith lords like lighting.

Welp. He didn't realize you're into kinky stuff before there's been so much as dinner and flowers.

Ey, you got no room to talk, you are the one who got into his head on their first date

All the chick flicks are "cry cry he doesn't know what I want" but if you make an effort...

Lies and slanders. There is nothing like almost murder to win your man's heart, I am right?

...and torture just adds that extra little something to a romance!

What is true love is there's no bleeding involved?

Wan and colorless, a mere mockery of the blood-red passion it could be.

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ooooh garden date swoon