Finding your footing (June catch-all)

[no_light]

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.

Comments

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

[no_light]

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!"

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

[aprettyflyboy]

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.

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

[no_light]

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.

[generalginger]

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?"

[aprettyflyboy]

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.

[no_light]

"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!"

[generalginger]

"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.

[gotabadfeelingaboutthis]

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.

[aprettyflyboy]

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.

[no_light]

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."

[generalginger]

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.

[gotabadfeelingaboutthis]

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.

[aprettyflyboy]

"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..."

[no_light]

"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."

[generalginger]

Hux was tempted to take the time to stomp on the soul gem until it shattered, but the ground was too soft, and there was the possibility of it taking more time than he had to destroy it. Just tossing it somewhere would work just as well, especially considering the size of the bracelet.

He glanced at Han briefly. "If you want it so bad, you'll have to get it yourself." Not from him. Instead, he tossed it arbitrarily toward a denser part of the gardens. It could have landed in the bushes, or in one of the nearby ponds. Hux didn't care; he just knew that he'd probably (hopefully) bought them time to make an almost clean getaway.

From there he picked up his pace until he caught up with Ren. He didn't touch the other man, but Hux did steel himself in preparation for potentially having to carry or drag Ren somewhere if it came to it.

[gotabadfeelingaboutthis]

They were running off, and Han still had a lot of thoughts running through his mind. Should he try to show some kindness to his not-son and show him he wasn't always a bad parent? Would Kylo pay any attention? Probably not, since he wasn't actually his dad. If Kylo was this dangerous, he wondered what would happen if his own kids were pulled in here. Or Leia for that matter. He really hated to think about it, as it would probably get dangerous, but there wasn't a lot of time now.

"Aw kriff" he sighed as Hux tossed the gem. It would be faster to go get it without dragging Poe along, so Han told him "I'll go get it...let me set you down for a minute." He helped Poe over to a nearby tree so he could set him down resting against it, and then turned to finding the gem.

[aprettyflyboy]

The pilot cursed as well when Hux had the guts to throw the bracelet away but it came out more like pained growl. Better lost than having it crushed, Poe told himself, trying to see the positive side. He hadn't expected to survive the day, not when Kylo showed up.

But who really was Kylo Ren? Hand Leia's son? Ben Solo? It felt as it that was a lifetime ago, what was left of the man he once was? Did the General know he was alive when they were sent to destroy the Starkiller Base? Poe had too many questions, too few answers and his body hurt too much to focus on them now.

"Sorry for all the trouble..." He let Han manoeuvre him and then rested his weight on the tree, watching the man go with tired eyes.

[no_light]

"I'm fine, Hux!" Kylo hissed, though not as quietly as he would have liked, as he stomped away the best he could. So what if he walked slower than necessary, or took care not to jostle his wound too much. "I've fought for my life with worse injuries." But he'd given himself fully to the Dark then.

Now he just felt miserable, and tired. And he lingered just before some shrubbery would block his view on Dameron and his not-quite father. He hesitated, looked back. Eyes tracking the familiar figure of Han Solo. Looking for Dameron's soul gem, for sure. He pushed down the bitterness that he was fussing over the pilot instead of him, and glowered at Hux.

"What are you waiting for? I said we're leaving," he said. And gritted his teeth against the pain. He could, and would, make it under his own power or not at all.

[generalginger]

"Yeah, yeah. I know you have." He kept the sarcastic 'tough guy' to himself because he wanted Ren to keep walking, not stop moving and have a fit. Though Ren did stop, and Hux wasn't tolerating having the blame passed onto him. "I'm not the one that stopped moving first."

Hux didn't have a good bedside manner in general, and now was no different. "If we ever make it back to our camp, I have a first aid kit. Try not to die before we get there."

[no_light]

"Don't be ridiculous, Hux, I don't die that easily," he growled and picked up his speed just to show Hux that he was perfectly fine, thank you very much.

It was quite the long walk back to their camp, but Kylo Ren had sheer bull-headed stubbornness on his side. It was something he had gotten the double dosage of from both of his parents, not that he liked to think of it as such.

"I didn't even need your help," he muttered indignantly, "you disrupted me."

[generalginger]

Hux snorted at the comment, but didn't argue. Ren might've been hardy, certainly much more than other people, but he was still reckless and stupid. There's been at least two times where he's certain that Ren may have died if he wasn't there to help, and possibly a third, if the scavenger girl had had more time in the hotel.

Once they were at the camp, Hux left Ren to his own devices while he fetched the first aid kit. He wasn't sure what good he'd be able to do, depending upon how severe the wound actually was. He'd learned how to sew buttons and repair his own uniform at the Academy, though, and surely that couldn't be too much different than sutures.

"I know I did." There was little point in arguing that. "I'm not a nice or good person, Ren, so it's not like I intervened on your behalf. Seeing as I have no other allies here, it was a strategic necessity." Of course, Hux wasn't sure if framing it that way would make things better or worse, but it was always hard to say when it came to Ren.

[gotabadfeelingaboutthis]

Han knew he couldn't waste a lot of time talking, and got busy looking in the direction he'd seen the gem fly. He hated that the shrubbery was kind of dense and he had to move branches and do a little kneeling and crawling, but to his relief, he found it fairly quickly.

"Here...fortunately, I found it fast" he said as he came back, carrying the gem with him, and put it into Poe's hands. The whole time, he'd kept glancing up at the other two as they left, but now they were what he hoped was a safe distance away, not intending to cause more harm.

[aprettyflyboy]

By the time Han came back, Poe was holding his head in his hands and trying to keep the dizzy sensation under control. It wasn't working to well for him. He managed to give the older man a smile when he returned, though.

"Thanks, sir..I owe you my life."

With a shaky hand, Poe tied the bracelet to his right wrist again. The unpleasant effects of being separated from his soul gem had appeared really quickly and he hoped that they would vanish just as fast now that he had it with him. He took a deep breath and didn't fail to notice the way Han's eyes went back to Kylo.

"We had..a story, back in our world. Not a nice one but that's probably obvious. We tried to kill each other but I didn't know...I didn't know he was your son. The other you but...still...I didn't know."

[gotabadfeelingaboutthis]

"Hey, don't worry about it. And ya don't have to stick with the 'sir' either...just Han is all right." he replied. "You know, I really gotta wonder whose idea these things were." He looked down at the gem on a chain around his own neck. "Way too easy for disaster to happen if you ask me."

Han listened as Poe talked, now obviously doing a bit better with the gem returned to him.

"I'm beginning to get the impression things are very different in the other timeline." he said. "Kylo gives me the impression that maybe my twin made a lot more mistakes along the way than I have, even though he hasn't said a whole lot." said Han.

"Not to say I haven't made my share...raisin' three kids with way too many nasty jerks in the galaxy who want them dead or for their own use and then trying to fight a war didn't exactly make things easy, but I always did my best. They kinda got mad at me for a while there, but nothing like him. " He sighed.

"I feel bad for him, but at this point, I really don't know how to react yet. It's too soon, I'm still trying to process it all." He shook his head. "He probably wouldn't be interested anyway, since I'm not the Han who did whatever it was."

He turned his attention back to Poe. "Do you think we should get you to a doctor or a hospital? You're looking better, but you're still pretty banged up."

[aprettyflyboy]

"Alright, General." Sorry Han, Poe did the same to Leia back in the day. Old habits die hard and he always considered Han a legend. "I don't know either but they clearly didn't think it through. Maybe it will be better if we kept them more hidden from now on, just in case."

The tightness in his chest was finally uncurling and while the unpleasant sensation didn't leave Poe completely it eased considerably.

"General Leia doesn't talk about but I know that your..twin and she had their ups and downs. Sometimes he was gone for months but family was important to them and there was no doubt that they loved each other. But after Master Luke went missing things got very complicated."

It was all Poe could share. He didn't know the details and he never wanted to make General Leia feel worse by asking them about her personal life. After managing a few deep breaths, he gave Han a smile.

"I'm sure you are a good parent, doing your best it's what matters. It's not an easy job. Kylo...or Ben, either way, be careful if you approach him. You might not be his real father but you are the closest thing he has here." And that was both a good and a bad thing. It made Poe nervous because Kylo was unpredictable.

He shook his head at Han's concerns.

"I've had worse, don't worry. Now that I have the gem back I'm feeling much better. I just need some rest and time to process what happened."

He had to talk to Rey, see if she knew about Han and Kylo and warn her if she didn't. After a few seconds, Poe stood up properly, no longer looking like he was about to collapse even if still a bit pale.

"Rey and I are staying in a shelter in the Earth sector until we find a proper house, crashing there sounds great right now. Do you have a place to stay?"