tushanshu_logs | when the world falls down

Entry tags:

when the world falls down

Characters: Kylo Ren and you
Date: most of March
Location: Wood Sector
Situation: Kylo Ren lives in a tree because jobs are beneath him and now most things are too. because he's in a tree.
Warnings/Rating: None at the moment.

It wouldn't be much of a surprise to say that Kylo Ren didn't really know what to do with himself. He had lived so long under Snoke's orders, apart but separate of the military machine that was the First Order, that he didn't know what to do with himself when he was tossed out into the freedom that being here gave him. The money he had been given after he had arrived had dwindled into nothing despite rationing and what planning he could do when it involved something like actually taking care of one's own finances. Jobs had thus far been out of the question because really, what good would his skills in fighting and interrogation be in this place? Besides, he didn't need a job as long as they were still ashore, as he could go hunting for something to eat without need of paying for it.

Since he didn't plan on getting a job, this meant that Kylo had no place to call home. The Midnight Hotel was right out as a place to stay, as he wouldn't step foot in there since he wasn't good with the idea of living in such close quarters with other people. He did it back when he was aboard the Finalizer, but that was orders and without Snoke there to tell him otherwise, Kylo didn't have to force himself into that situation. This, of course, meant that he had no real place to live and ended up spending some time wandering the city until he found his way into the Wood Sector and decided upon his current base of operations: a decent sized tree that wasn't used in the construction of a home.

At different points of the day, Kylo can been seen climbing up and down the tree in a manner of someone who was used to doing such things but hasn't done so in a while, getting better at it as the month goes on. During other times, he's calmly meditating, the top layer of his robes removed and showing the pleated vest and sleeves he wore underneath and using the bottom part of his hood to obscure the lower part of his face in an imitation of a mask. Rarely, he can be found up in the tree itself before nighttime, relaxing on a higher branch with only the bottom most layer of his outfit on, the rest being used as cushioning as he relaxed in a way most people would definitely never see in public. He's not nearly as agitated as he was so soon after arriving, having accepted the fact that he'll be here for a while, and instead won't be too bothered by anyone coming up to him.

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Tony has just been paid, and is participating in that time-honored tradition of people who actually have to work for a living: the post-payday shopping spree.

The Wood Sector isn't really his speed, shopping-wise or atmosphere-wise, but he likes to venture outside his comfort zone every now and then, just to keep his finger on the pulse of the city. And he'd gotten lucky with his shopping today, and scored a really nice necklace for Pepper. It's unusual for him to pick up trinkets like that, when he could spend the money on materials for the lab, but he hadn't been able to resist the purple glass center...piece. Bead. Gem. Whatever. Jewelry. It's not his specialty. But it's the exact color of her armor, and he thinks the necklace is a style she'll like.

It's also apparently a style that that damn bird likes.

He'd put the necklace down for all of five seconds, and one of those stupid lizard-crows had snatched it up. Tony's spent the last ten minutes chasing the bird around like a complete idiot. (He's pretty sure the bird doesn't care about the necklace and just thinks it's funny to mess with him.) Now the bird is perched in a large tree, necklace draped over the branch beside it, preening itself and looking way more smug than anything with a brain the size of a walnut has any business looking.

Tony lobs a piece of bark at it (he misses, because random pieces of bark are not very aerodynamic). "Give that back, you asshole!" he shouts.

And then realizes that there's also person in the tree, in addition to a bird.

"Oh. Uh. Hey." Awkward.

Kylo has been aware of Tony longer than Tony has been aware of him, as his perch gave him an advantage, plus he had noticed him running after the bird that had flown off with a necklace of some sort. It had been decent entertainment and because of him noticing, he was able to make sure the bark veered away from him with the Force.

He didn't answer at first, his attention to the bird and he used the Force to keep it in place as he moved from his spot and grabbed the necklace, jumping down with some amount of grace as he held out the necklace for Tony to take. "I believe this is yours," he says evenly. "It would be a good idea if you kept hold of it from now on."

"Thanks," Tony says, with a grateful smile, and carefully slips the necklace into a secure pocket in his satchel. "How'd you get it to sit still?" The bird hadn't moved an inch while Tree Dude had retrieved the necklace - though it had squawked angrily and flown off as soon as he'd jumped out of the tree. "Do you talk to birds or something?" he jokes.

Now that Tree Dude is out of his tree, Tony can't help but notice his truly absurd outfit - he tries really hard not to stare, but it's not a complete success.

"No, I merely stopped it from moving," he explained briefly. There was no need to launch into an explanation of the Force if he didn't have to. After all, there were actual teachers here that people could go to if they actually wanted to know about this sort of thing.

The staring was noticed and not appreciated. He could understand staring at his scar since it was an obvious mark on his face, but his clothes? His clothes were practical for someone like him that needed additional mobility alongside his desire to menace others. "What are you looking at?"

"And how'd you stop it from moving?" He will pester you until he finds out, Tree Dude.

But first he has to come up with some kind of excuse for his staring, which is definitely rude and has definitely been noticed.

"Oh. Uh. Nothing. It's just..." He's having a really hard time keeping a straight face. "I like your, uh— fishnet crop top. And suspenders. Stylish."

Edited 2016-03-21 06:22 (UTC)

"With the Force," Kylo answered with a brief wave of his hand. He's definitely going to not explain this in detail for as long as he can draw it out.

"It's not meant to be stylish. This is merely the undermost layer of my clothes and it's to meant to allow mobility while I fight." As if to prove his point, Kylo waves his hands and the rest of his clothes fall out of the tree and carefully into his grasp. "It's also easier to get in and out of the tree without wearing all of my layers."

"Right. Mobility. Same reason I wear sequin hotpants and a wonderbra under my armor. Loads of flexibility and support." He is struggling valiantly not to bust out into giggles now. "Have you tried, I don't know... wearing fewer layers? I'm just saying. Not wearing your whole wardrobe at once might help with the mobility." Honestly, that looks like enough layers to layer up about four individual Tree Dudes.

"And that's Force with a capital 'F,' right?" Fortunately, that little bomb distracts him enough to prevent him from going into hysterics over Tree Dude's rave pajamas. "So you're one of those, huh?" Pepper had given him the rundown after coming home squealing about Obi-Wan.

In an effort to get used to the city, Padme has decided to take one section at a time to walk in after completing her shifts at the hotel. In a way, it's very liberating to be able to walk around by herself without any disguises. It's been far too long that she's been able to just be a normal person. And while she knows it's the way of life she's chosen, sometimes she is still overwhelmed by the utter lack of privacy.

Besides, she's had a lot on her mind lately and time away from both Obi-Wan and Anakin gives her a chance to process everything without trying to keep a happy facade up. As much as she cares for them both, in different ways, being around them has grown overwhelming without time to think.

However, she's trying to make sure that she catches the sights in each district she visits, and this time is no different. Only, she didn't expect for one of the sights to be a man in a tree. She stops and stares at him for a long minute before she recognizes him. "Kylo Ren? Is that you?"

Of all the people he expected to meet around the city, he didn't expect Padme. Sure, he knew she was around, but it never really crossed his mind that they would meet in person, not for any real reason, but he didn't think it would happen. He didn't move from his spot, instead just grabbing the pleated vest he wore over his under layer and put it back on. It didn't feel right wearing only that when speaking to the woman who would be his grandmother.

"It is I," he answered politely, jumping down from his branch and using the Force to soften the landing and make him look far more graceful than he would without it. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person instead of over a broadcast, Senator Amidala."

It was foolish of him to not expect to run into his grandmother at some point. They were both there and active people. And now that she knew the truth of their relation, she wanted to get to know him. Perhaps not quite like this, since it would appear to be a little embarrassing for him.

Not that she cared one whit.

"You weren't completely honest with me when we spoke last time. Although, I can understand anyone's reluctance to speak to a dead woman in their eyes. I doubt my appearance could be easy for you if I've been dead for the near entirety of your mother's life."

This was the first indication that he was made aware of her knowledge of their relation, so he was a bit surprised, eyes widening slightly at her words before he was able to gain some control over his expression. It was times like these where he wished that he still had his mask to hide his emotional responses from those he spoke to, as his face was far too expressive to keep anything hidden for too long.

"It wasn't my place to tell you the truth." After Obi-Wan had been protective of Anakin, Kylo had figured that the same had applied to Padme. Plus, Kylo wanted to distance himself from this part of his family, the side so steeped in Light that he was worried that all of the Supreme Leader's teachings would go out the window, though Kylo wasn't going to allow that to happen without a fight. "Master Kenobi did say that he would tell you the whole truth, I imagine since he doesn't fear you falling to the Dark Side like my grandfather did."

She noted his reaction and saved it for digestion later. The miniscule change before going blank was far too familiar for her comfort just then.

"I won't deny that hearing it from someone I'm well acquainted with helped, but I think I would have preferred you to have told me. However, one of the benefits of not being Force sensitive is that my power can only do so much damage alone."

She arched an eyebrow to gauge his take on that, as she still wasn't sure what to expect from this grown man who was supposedly her grandson fifty-plus years in the future.

"Might I ask why you're perched in a tree? It doesn't look exactly comfortable."

He took a moment to lean against the tree, arms crossed and looking younger than he actually was by doing so. It was obviously not something he did on purpose, but the fact that he appeared to be relaxed around her could be taken as some sort of good sign for their conversation. If Kylo doesn't ruin it by being a brat, which is really likely by this point.

"Not being Force sensitive doesn't mean you're not also capable of great destruction, but that's on a different scale than the one Force sensitives have to measure with," he points out evenly. Kylo knows that for certain, thinking of Hux and how he was able to destroy planets without any knowledge of the intricacies of the Force. "As for not telling you the truth, my family situation is complicated enough without the addition of my long dead maternal grandparents being dragged into it."

There was definitely more than what he was saying, but he'd only give that information up if she asks. He's starting to figure out a way to deal with all of this and the current idea of it is to only give knowledge if asked about it because he won't say a thing otherwise and even then, only what fits their current worldview.

"It's not nearly as uncomfortable as it looks, but this is temporary lodgings until I find something better."

Well, considering the maturity level that Padmé had been exhibiting since the revelations Obi-Wand dropped on her head by avoiding the Jedi Master, she wasn't really one to talk about someone else's general brattiness.

"You're right. Intent does make up for a lot of deficiencies. And there are more forms of power than just the Force." She knew that better than most people, surrounded as she was by Jedi and stuck finding her own footing. And doing it well enough. For a while.

"I can see how you would feel that way. Forgive me." She swallowed, feeling a scream building up and shoving it down so that she can fall apart later if need be. No, Kylo Ren was her main concern at that point. "I am still trying to come to terms with all of the news myself. However, I would like to get to know you, if you'd allow that."

He was a grown man, after all, and had every right to deny her this, since they were of an age and it was just another awkward situation on top of what they already had to deal with.

"Lo-" She cut herself off before she went into full worry like she would with Anakin. She didn't have that right, not really. "Have you been unable to find something that would suit you?"

Yuri was walking home one afternoon after a guild job, and happened to be passing through the Wood Sector. Lambert was with him, the dog walking at Yuri's side as they went. A lot had been happening lately, and the man was allowing the quiet time to think to himself. Not bothering to hurry on his way and instead taking it easy. Thus he wasn't paying all that much attention to his surroundings.

But Lambert stopped, and turned his head up to look in Kylo's direction up in one of the trees. The canine giving a soft 'woof' to alert his master to the strange Foreigner who seemed to like pretending he was a monkey.

It was then that Yuri stopped and looked at his companion. "What is it, Lambert?" He then followed the dog's gaze upward and paused to stare for a moment.

"Uh..."

It was the barking of the dog that drew Kylo's attention downwards. He was used to people usually walking past without noticing him above them and tended to prefer it that way since he didn't want to interact with the kedan or other Foreigners unless he really had to. Of course, what Kylo wanted and what really happened didn't seem to intersect as much as he wanted it to and he glanced down with a sigh at the two currently interrupting his peace.

"Is there a problem?" The tone of his voice seemed to indicate that if the problem was him and his current situation, he was going to fight.

"Depends," Yuri said as he looked up at Kylo with a rather impassive expression.

"Only shady guys like to hang out in trees. Planning to jump some unsuspecting travelers or something?"

It doesn't even occur to him that this guy might actually be living in the tree. That would just be weird.

"That wasn't the plan," Kylo responded with a slight shrug. He was a pretty shady guy, considering everything he's done in his life, and he wasn't going to deny it. That didn't mean he planned on doing shady things to unsuspecting citizens. He had already made a silent vow to himself to keep himself from getting into trouble if only to keep the Jedi at bay.

"If you really want to know, I'm using this tree as temporary lodgings until I find something more suitable to my needs." Translation: He's living in a tree because he's broke and doesn't want to get a job. Not that he's going to say that to some stranger and his furry pet.

Yuri knows that sort of language all too well. He's quite familiar with the whole poverty level thing.

"So you're broke and don't have a job."

Yep, totally calling you out on it Kylo.

There's a pause as Kylo tries to think up a reasonable denial of what Yuri said, but it's difficult because it's the truth, though the truth has never really stopped Kylo before. He lives in a constant state of denial to begin with, so adding more to the pile really wouldn't be too much trouble for him.

"That's not the case at all. I happen to like living up here. A close friend of my father's grew up in trees, so it's not something unheard of where I'm from." Smooth, Kylo. Saying something equal to 'if wookiees can do it, then so can I' is obviously going to work here. Hopefully, he has no idea that wookiees are even a thing.

"Riiiight," Yuri says in a tone that clearly says he doesn't believe you Kylo.

"You know, my guild is looking for some people. It's not the usual kind of job that straps you down all day. But its good for earning a little extra juulan. ... Maybe you could buy yourself a nice tree house."

Let it never be said that Yuri didn't have a bit of a soft spot for hard luck cases. He knows it's kinda hard for people to get used to living around here.

Just because they'd made landfall didn't mean life's little circles board the turtle didn't continue on. And Robert had placed himself in enough of them to still walk through the Sectors from time to time, though...the city was so small, he may as well have found the excuse to do so, anyway.

Unlike last year, he avoided the heights. The mask and microbots were stored carefully away, only occasionally - rarely - uncovered to ensure they were in working order. Just in case...just in case...if, if, if...

Paranoia whispered at the back of his mind, almost distracting him from the fact that there was a man dropping from a tree only a few feet ahead of him. 'Almost' being the key word; Robert took a step back, blinking in surprise as he took in the - human, he thought, or a kedan dressing as one - form. "Careful, there-!"

One day, Kylo Ren will actually hear something from above instead of something below. There's a long yell that seems to be getting closer. Until something big comes crashing down through the branches and lands with a hard thud on one of the bigger limbs just above where the brooding man has placed himself.

The big thing is a person, with wings. Zuko is draped on the limb and groaning.

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when the world falls down

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