lostapprentice | Empatheias Mailbox/Amulet

[And as expected, though she's heard these words from Kylo countless times before, they don't hurt any less, because Leia can't really make sense of them. It doesn't make sense from what she's seen from Han's memories and what she knows about them. Even if it's just Kylo's perception of his childhood, it's not one Leia wants him to have. There's a slight chill around where she's standing as she continues to watch him, but it's likely not something Kylo will notice just yet from inside the kitchen.]

I'm glad to hear it. There's a lot on Alderaan that I wish both you and your father could've experienced.

[That's... a win, Rey thinks. Maybe. He seems resigned to accepting her as "ridiculous", at least. Which is good, since she's certain that randomly giving him a bunch of stupid gifts counts as "ridiculous."

Ugh.

Rey takes her cup again, holding it between both hands to let the warmth seep into her palms—even after all this time, hardly anything in Verens feels quite warm enough—and follows Kylo to the table, taking the seat next to his. For a moment she keeps her eyes down at her cup, lightly jostling the infuser inside to watch tea bleed into the water... until she realizes if she doesn't say something soon he might remember those gifts. So she says the first thing that pops into her head.]

Have you ever made tea with your flowers? [... In response to that thing he said a few minutes ago. Great job, Rey, stellar conversing skills.]

[Ren replies with his usual optimism—that is to say, none at all.]

There's little point clinging to the past. The only thing thinking of Alderaan will do is prevent moving forward.

[The past is set in stone, and trying to do something different with it, thinking of what ifs, none of that will help. Even if Ren doesn't think of himself as having much of a future, he refuses to go backwards.]

[Ugh... "his" flowers... His lips twist briefly before he shakes his head, stirring his tea with a small spoon he'd paired with his cup.]

I spend most of my time with those things trying to get rid of them, not collect them for anything.

[These days he lets them linger a bit longer than he used to—it's a huge improvement from flat-out stomping on them out of embarrassment—but that doesn't mean he wants to always look at them.

Before long, Ren is satisfied with the amount of time that's passed, and he pulls the infuser out to rest on his saucer before taking a sip. A moment passes where he seems to consider the cup, then he puts it down and gets to his feet to return to the kitchen and grab something. At this point, he hopes she'll be sufficiently distracted by her own tea as he steps out into the living room to grab a few other somethings.
If all goes as planned, she'll be in the middle of her own sip when Kylo sits back down—box, parcel, and jar of honey in hand.

He places the jar between them, but sets the wrapped parcel in his lap and the box in front of himself. He's opening the box first.]

[It's the wrong thing to say, and she knows Ben knows that. Even though she knows he knows better, Leia can't help her temper. The cold from before is long gone, replaced with a low, spreading heat around her, spreading up the door frame she's leaning against.]

There's no moving forward without keeping Alderaan in mind.

[Not for her, at least, and she'd be sure to make sure it's the case for everyone else, too. If Alderaan is gone, then it won't be forgotten. The least she can do is ensuring the memory of her homeplanet serves as a warning of the horrors of the Empire and other groups like it.]

[It's not an unusual thing for Hux to be up this early.

Even though he was warm and comfortable under the blankets with Ren, he had things to do. He didn't go through all that trouble in buying gifts for his birthday to just let them go to waste. No, he's going to ensure that everything will be set up and aligned in the living room before Ren came out. Partly because he does want to make his partner pleased, but mostly to prove that he can do anything well if he puts his mind to it.

Also, he won't be outdone by anyone!!

Everything will be wrapped, the boxes aligned. Tea will be ready and breakfast food from Ren's favorite restaurant.]

[It's certainly not odd for Hux to slip out of bed before Ren does, no, even if sometimes he complains a bit about it.

It's to that end that Ren finally gets up and heads out of what is technically Hux's bedroom but tends to be their bedroom in practice, not yet thinking about the smells that are starting to spread through the house.

At the display that meets him when he steps into the living room, though, he has to stop and stare. He's not quite sure what he's looking at for a few moments.]

I like them.

[And then that's that. Rey considers the best way to make Kylo Ren tea while idly following his lead when he removes his own infuser and begins drinking the tea. He gets up, and Rey sees him move to the kitchen out of her peripheral, but she doesn't think much of it... until she realizes he also went to the living room.

Which is about the time he sits back down with honey (good) and her gifts (bad no oh god very bad). His timing is, by his standards, perfect, and Rey chokes on a sip of tea when he starts opening the box, eyes suddenly wide and glued to the box in mild terror. And then, seeing her fate inescapably closing in, she says the only thing she can think to hope for.]

Please don't laugh.

[The box itself is smooth, wooden, and black with a modest filigree pattern inlaid in some sort of shell, and there's a little hole for a key, though it's not currently locked. The key, as Kylo will find out, is inside the box, attached to a small black tassel. And aside from that, the box is filled with an assortment of items: a few paper packets with colored drawings of plants Kylo may recognize as ones he's created, a shiny silver-flecked moonstone, a folding knife with a brown and golden stone hilt, a scrap of paper with a sketch of herself posed dramatically with her lightsaber lit in one hand and the other hand outstretched to use the Force, and at the bottom a neatly folded black silk scarf.]

[The small uncertainty that Hux was feeling only increases when he sees Ren's reaction. He's just... staring. That's normally not a good sign, right? Well, it's far too late to go back on this, so he just folds his arms and looks away, refusing to meet Ren's eyes.

It's clear that he's anxious about this.]

...Happy birthday, Kylo.

[Ren blinks rapidly for a few moments, his mouth opening slightly as he glances to each part of the display, evenly spaced boxes to fresh breakfast on a tray, and a number of red orchids bloom from between the floorboards. Shaking his head as if to snap himself out of it, he steps forward to cradle Hux's face with both hands and leans in for a kiss.

He's not just doing that to hide the fact that he's tearing up. He's just got something in his eyes, that's all.]

[He sees the flowers from the corner of his eye, a clear sign that Ren is pleased. Well, good... guess all that anxiety was misplaced in the end. Humph, of course. His plans always go without failure! It's no surprise that he calculated everything well and was successful in the end.

...He still can't help but be relieved though.]

I see that you're-- [He cuts himself off when Ren places his hands on his face, leaning up to kiss his partner. He'll definitely accept this. In fact, he'll be nice enough to not comment about the tears for now.]

[He lets a slow breath out through his nose and mumbles to himself, shaking his head as he puts the cheese and grater down.]

And that was always the problem. [Ren endeavors not to continue this line of conversation as he moves to dump the grater in the sink, and he lets out a noise of irritation as he spots his own darkened shadow.

It's fine. He's mostly done in the kitchen anyway, so he steps away from the oven and counter lest his emotions do something stupid like rot his ingredients. He can wash his hands in the bathroom, so he turns and heads that way with his usual heavy gait.]

[Don't mind veritable garden in the room as Ren gets a hold of himself, Hux. After a few seconds, he breaks off the kiss and tries to sniff discreetly, immediately breaking his gaze from the other man and glancing to the gifts. He hasn't let go of the redhead, however; he feels the need to keep his hands on Hux to reassure himself he's not just dreaming this up.]

Well—where should I start?

[Her earnest request only makes him smirk, eyebrows raised slightly at her as he opens the box to pull out the items inside. Hopefully Rey isn't bothered by the reddish shining sparks that manifest in the air around him as he starts to investigate.

The key is placed on the table without much preamble, and the stone follows after a brief glance and a tilt to appreciate the metallic inclusions. The paper packs of seeds get an exasperated head shake before they're set aside, but the knife gets a bit of extra examination and an appreciative hum before he folds it back and sets it aside the other items.

And then there's the sketch. He tilts his head at first, brow furrowed in a bemused way, but it quickly makes way for something that would be better described as a grin, teeth and all.]

Dynamic.

[She's giving him a drawing of herself, holding a lightsaber and using the Force. That's so... just... adorable. He turns his gaze to her, gesturing with the paper.]

Shall I put it on the conservator?

[He's not laughing. He's making fun. Entirely different. And if that's not enough to keep her from embarrassment, perhaps the clover and pink flowers under the table will distract her.]

[As soon as he pulls out the first item, Rey resigns herself to staring intently at her tea, as though she believes if she can't see him opening her stupid gifts maybe she can pretend it's not happening. Or at the very least maybe she can figure out how to drown herself in half a cup of tea. The effect, however, is greatly lessened by the fact that her eyes flicker sideways to Kylo constantly when curiosity about his reactions takes over. On a few such glances, she notices the red sparkles and... well, isn't entirely sure how to interpret them. Does that mean he likes the items? Or is he just pleased by her strangeness again?

When he pulls out the drawing, she visibly tenses up, and the air around her turns noticably—though not oppressively&mdsh;warmer, as though the planet itself is blushing for her. Her plan of staring at her tea lasts right up until he starts speaking, and then she can't help looking up. Rey's eyes go from the drawing to Kylo's toothy grin, and her wide-eyed mortification turns to wide-eyed, mortified confusion. His words sound mocking, but his face... almost seems like he genuinely likes it. Out of all the other ridiculous gifts, that stupid self-portrait is the one that gets the most attention. It's the one that makes him smile.

Rey's seen Kylo grin before, when Elios froze them both. She's drawn it too, several times. Her treacherous memory refused to recall anything but the un-frosted, affectionate, brown-eyed Kylo Ren, no matter how many times she tried to draw him accurately. But this grin isn't inspired by some Arehtei, and it's more... rakish? No, roguish. Like a scoundrel. ~~Like his father.~~ Because of an idiotic sketch she probably should have remembered to take out of that box before giving it to him. And that's a combination of stuff Rey was not prepared to handle.

She turns abruptly back to her tea, and tries to ignore the fact that the burning feeling in her face means it's probably red.]

If you don't like it, you don't have to keep it.

[The safest way to reply is to assume he's teasing, she decides. At best, it's pointing out the obvious. At worst, well, it's fishing for compliments a bit. Rey is fine either way.]

[Leia purses her lips, resisting the urge to sigh or otherwise react more than that to Kylo's response. Because she doesn't see it as a problem. She sees it as the very least she can do for a planet that had seemed the soul of the Republic, and for its remaining citizens.

Instead of being annoyed, when Kylo heads toward the bathroom, Leia heads into the kitchen to get a better look at whatever he'd been doing in there.]

[The stew is still simmering on the stove, and at closer inspection, Leia can find that while it does smell very similar to the dish she's familiar with, there's a slight difference that leans more savory than the traditional. Kylo knows what he likes.

Aside from that, the pile of cheese he's just grated is sitting on a cutting board, and if she glances at the oven, she might see a long shape inside, and the smell of baking bread shouldn't be too hard to detect soon enough.

By the time she's had a look around, Kylo will be staring at her, arms folded and a look of displeasure on his face.]

I would rather you not ruin my meal with whatever you may be feeling.

[... but something odd strikes him now that he's actually looking at her properly, and he tilts his head with a brief furrow to his brow, eyes scanning her face and neck.]

[S-such a reaction from Ren... it's more than he expected. The magnitude of this garden along with the tears that he's obviously trying to hold back, it makes Hux feel good about what he's done.

It's strange, to have such a feeling that doesn't involve murder or taking over the galaxy.]

I suppose you can start anywhere, but I suggest that you eat your breakfast before it gets cold.

[It's even more charming that she's clearly embarrassed by the box of gifts, and though a part of him would like to continue teasing her about it, there's only so far he can go with it before it starts becoming a bit cruel. So instead, lays the sketch next to the other gifts, placing the key on top of it to make sure it stays where he's put it.]

It would be rude to throw away a gift.

[It's the closest he'll probably get to admitting he does like it, so hopefully she'll appreciate the sentiment hiding behind his general refusal to be too openly positive about things. He has a reputation to uphold, after all.

That done, however, he pulls out the scarf from the bottom of the box and unfolds it slightly, testing the fabric between the gloved fingers of his left hand.]

In time for it to get cold. [He seems to approve, judging by the tone of his voice.]

[Ren lets out a weak, almost nervous chuckle before shaking his head at himself and turning to said breakfast, his left hand lingering on Hux for a moment before he finally detaches himself. He can't drag the redhead along with him if he's going to sit and eat. (Well, he can, but he's not certain how practical it would be.)]

Of course. [Food first. It seems appropriate. Perhaps it will give him a few moments to take in the notion of Hux having prepared something so nice purely for him...]

[Her eyes dart over as he sets the sketch down, and Rey stares at that for a moment, chewing over his reply. She can read between the lines enough to get that he does indeed like her drawing, so... that's a thing. A thing she has no idea what to do with.

Fortunately, he moves on to the scarf, and that's almost a relief at this point. It's the oldest gift in the box, and after his comment Rey chooses not to mention that she bought it two summers ago. Better that he think it's because of the incoming cold weather. She's more than willing to latch onto any excuse to claim a gift is practical and not stupid.]

It's silk. You should—[And instead of explaining verbally, Rey just reaches over and rubs it gently between her fingers.]—without your gloves. It'll feel nicer. Really soft.

[She barely hears Kylo return while she's looking over everything he's making. It might not be completely traditional, but honestly, the mere fact that he's making something based off of Alderaanian food is enough to both have her interest and send her mind racing, thinking about what his early life must have been like.

She turns when he speaks, trying to hide her surprise. Which, really, isn't that hard the longer he's looking at her. Leia raises her eyebrows, meeting his scrutinizing glare with a slightly puzzled stare of her own. Because to Leia, there's nothing strange about the neckline of her shirt, or the lack of a scarf or anything of the sort. She hasn't worn anything around her neck for a good portion of her time here, not comfortable with that light pressure there.]

What is it?

[Ren shoots her a curious look, brow lifting slightly at her gesture, but he remains still otherwise. Taking off his gloves seems like it would take a bit too long to be worth it, when he has something else to open and curiosity to satisfy. It's not like he won't find out just what it feels like later, whenever he actually puts it around his neck.]

I believe you.

[He sounds sincere, even though he clearly doesn't intend to do what she's suggesting. In fact, he starts to fold the scarf again, intending to put it aside next to the other gifts.]

[...Why hasn't he tried it yet?! EAT THE FOOD ALREADY. Hux begins to dig his fingers into his palms, trying to subdue the sudden anxiety that popped up. If the food isn't good, then everything will be less than perfect. A blemish on a day that his stupid partner is supposed to enjoy--]

...Does it look suitable to your tastes?

[In the far-too-brief time Rey spends thinking about her response, she gets as far as Of course he won't take off his gloves, that's so inconvenient, what was I thinking? But what else is uncovered? Well, his face, obviously before acting.]

No, see, you need to—here— [So before he can pull the scarf fully away, she takes the edge under her hand and reaches up with the intention of holding it against his face. And since she's seated to his left, it's conveniently the unscarred cheek. All the better for feeling Shaarnath silk against his skin, after all!

Pending her success, it will take a good two seconds before she realizes what she's done and starts feeling awkward about it.]

Empatheias Mailbox/Amulet

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11/19

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