[In contrast to Kylo, with the exception of her eyebrows shooting up when his boots fall heavily on the floor, Leia's expression remains largely neutral. His reaction is enough of an indication that Han may not have been totally off-base, but at the same time, this was the same reaction he had months before. Which is why Leia isn't entirely sure whether his posture and flushed face are confirmation of something more between Ben and Hux, or whether it's the subject itself that's making him embarrassed and defensive.]
Are you in a relationship with Hux?
[She could ask Hux for his opinion on this, but she doesn't exactly trust him to give her an accurate answer on anything aside from how many planets he's blown up. ...Well that and she doesn't like spending time around him in the first place, and asking him whether he's dating her son would require that. It was easier and more respectful to ask Ben first.]
[It's not as if he and Armitage were openly affectionate with each other during that festival; even if they were seen together, surely that wouldn't have been enough to make his mother of all people think they were genuinely in a relationship. His father would be the one to jump to that conclusion, not her. She's actually smart sometimes.
So the only thing that comes to mind is—]
Were you—spying on me!?
[The temperature spikes suddenly, enough to make Ren sweat, but he's more preoccupied with the idea that she may have seen something meant only for him and Hux.]
[She crosses her arms in front of her, her turn to feel slightly defensive, it seems. Leia wouldn't consider it spying exactly. Technically it was, but it was out of concern for Ben that she did it in the first place. Even if he may not talk to her or want her around, she can't help but continuously be concerned for his health and well-being, and she had left when it was clear just what she was witnessing.]
[So she's not even bothering to deny it, and even if she were he could see it in her posture. Ren grits his teeth and pounds his knee in frustration, his face twisted in an ugly way from anger.]
That's absolutely none of your business.
[It's a yes, obviously. But he has absolutely no reason to share this with her when he knows all he'll get from that is disapproval and disappointment.]
And I'd appreciate if you'd keep yourself out of my private life.
[Even though he knows there's little he can actually do about it, there's still a threat in the hissed words. It's just something that comes along with his anger.]
[Disapproval, yes, because Hux is well. Hux. There's next to nothing she can say about him that's remotely positive, aside from the one time he managed to shut his mouth, they accomplished a task together in a relatively short period of time. But apparently he's important to Ben, and she honestly doesn't know what to make of it.
She'd been jealous before that Ben would talk to Hux and not her or Han or anyone she'd want him to open up with. But, at the same time--and though she'd never admit it aloud to anyone--she was thankful, somewhat, that even though he's a horrible influence, Ben had someone around that he did trust. That he wasn't on his own and isolated from everyone else from their galaxy by his choice and his circumstances here.
As expected, perhaps, Leia stands her ground, aware of Ben's anger and the threat in those words, but she's not quite done questioning him.]
Is he kind to you?
[She questions his taste in partners, yes, but Leia is well aware her disapproval won't matter much to Ben, and in fact might just make him more willing to jump into this relationship. And she may hate Hux, but Ben's happiness and well-being is more important than that.]
[The question makes him stop short, some of the anger leaving him and being replaced with complete confusion. He'd expected accusations, open judgment, demands that he find someone else—not an honest question about their relationship.
He blinks a few times as he attempts to reorient himself in the situation, his brow twitching.]
He—
[He has to look away from her eyes in order to give anything resembling an answer; he has to put up every wall he has, in fact, including the defensive nature of the response itself.]
[Her gaze remains fixed on Ben, even after he turns away, taking in his body language as he answers, almost as if she's looking for any hint he's lying or hiding the truth from her. And despite just how closely she's looking for hints of falsehood, Leia can't find any. Only the defensiveness and embarrassment she'd expected with the subject being what it was.]
...Good.
[Which is how she genuinely feels. The idea of Ben dating someone she dislikes as much as Hux isn't good, no, but him treating Ben kindly is. It's more than she thought capable from him. And it brings perhaps a bit more clarity to a different interaction of theirs.]
I suppose that's why he was so defensive about your name, then.
[Ren eyes her suspiciously at the positive answer, and there's a tension in his jaw as he examines her; why she would have that kind of reaction is just as baffling as having asked the question in the first place, and he doesn't trust her even if he can't sense any insincerity.
His scowl becomes one more of curiosity when she brings up a conversation she's apparently had, however, softening slightly.]
My name? [It wasn't something he expected to come up.] Did he tell you to call me Kylo Ren?
He insisted that the name "Ben Solo" was outlawed in the First Order.
[If she sounds skeptical while relaying that information, it's because she absolutely is. Generally because if anything, she would expect the First Order to use the son of two of the heroes of the Rebellion as proof that their way is correct enough to attract even the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa. But if they're in a relationship, it explains more of his defensiveness.]
[He answers evenly without much emotion at all; it's the truth, and he doesn't have much of an opinion on that or of his mother's obvious incredulity.]
It is, by decree of Supreme Leader.
[Seeing nothing strange about this, or about the idea that she might not know about Snoke, he moves right on ahead with the things that do stick out as strange to him.]
I'm surprised he brought it up. As if you could be convinced to stop calling me that.
[There's really nothing that could convince her to call him Kylo Ren. Ben may want to distance himself from her and Han, but to Leia, he is and always will be Ben. Calling him Kylo Ren would just be accepting that darkness and accepting that there's nothing she can do to change how things turn out, for anyone in the future.]
Supreme Leader?
[That's where her attention is focused, not so much that he apparently did decree that Ben Solo is outlawed.]
His hand stills where he was bringing it through his hair, and he shoots her a glance that's not startled exactly, but it is intense enough to invite question. But then he looks away, determined not to react any more noticeably than that. He makes his response deliberately sarcastic.]
[His initial reaction causes Leia to furrow her brow, thinking over whether he'd mentioned this before and she had forgotten. But no, for the most part, details about the First Order were something Leia had very little of, and she would've remembered someone called the Supreme Leader.]
I thought you intended to rule the galaxy.
[He'd screamed as much at her when she first arrived and went to see him.]
[There's a pang of fear (and the corresponding dip in temperature) at the thought of what he's about to say, but... it's been so long that he has no doubt Supreme Leader can't reach him here, can't sense him here.]
The master was once an apprentice. I still have things to learn before then.
[He's... honestly not sure if he'll ever truly get to that point. But that's what the old him would say, so the words come easily enough.]
[Unlike the heat from before, something she's used to as a reaction from Ben, the cold catches Leia off-guard, especially given the subject matter. She isn't sure what about any of what he's said would prompt a reaction like that.]
Who is he?
[The wording of what he's said only makes her think it's connected to the Force, or at least his training in it. If only because she's not sure what else he would have been trained in besides how to wield the Force. She was sure Luke had been teaching him, before everything went wrong, though, so part of her feels that must be off-base.]
[Well, it's not as if telling her will actually affect anything, he supposes. Why not? It's the same reason behind many of the things he does here. None of it will make a difference, and it's frankly just easier to answer than to argue that she doesn't need to know.
He rests his chin against his hand.]
Supreme Leader Snoke is my teacher. He was the one who appointed me Master of the Knights of Ren.
[She hadn't actually expected a direct answer from him, far too used to Ben's habit of either purposely trying to infuriate her or give her as little information as possible. She blinks, then purses her lips as she takes in that information and commits it to memory.
The name means nothing to her, as expected. She has no idea where Snoke may have come from or who he truly is, which means she has no idea how to prevent him from teaching Ben.]
He's a Sith Lord, then?
[Her knowledge of any of that is still very minimal, but from what little he's described, it sounds like he must be. Or something along those lines.]
[Ren's expression twists again, but not in anger this time. It's more in disbelief hedging on distaste.]
No. The Sith died with Darth Vader and the Emperor. ... he doesn't have a... title like that.
[... that he knows. Admittedly he only knows so much about Supreme Leader out of necessity, because nobody knows much about him yet. Hurry it up Disney.]
[Leia frowns, unsure whether that's a good thing or not. It just means less in terms of potential literature on how to deal with someone or something like that. She's also unsure just how much longer Ben will continue to give her direct answers, answers she can only trust in their truthfulness, and she plans on taking advantage of this opportunity for as long as he'll play along with it.]
He seems like a secretive being.
[Not unexpected, but worth noting, as obvious as it is. Her tone is dry and flat as she remarks on that, unhappy with how much more difficult it makes everything.]
You turned to him after everything with Luke?
[With Luke, with everything that prompted him to destroy Luke's school, all of that.]
[It's a relatively safe topic so far, but anything with Kylo Ren is a hidden minefield. He could decide the conversation is over in the span of a second, but for now he continues.]
Necessarily so.
[That's just how it is with dark siders, really. But a faint line forms between his eyebrows as he continues staring past his wall, and his answer is strangely vague for being as straightforward as it seems.]
[She catches that, with how closely she's watching him, and her frown deepens as she once again furrows her brow while thinking over his answer. She doesn't feel that he's lying, exactly. None of what he's told her thus far has felt like a lie, and she wants to trust him because he is still her son. But that "yes" doesn't feel like the whole story.]
[His expression becomes a distinct frown as she digs deeper, and he's silent as he searches for what to say, how to answer that question even to himself.
Did he know Snoke? Well, does Kylo even "know" him now? The answer to that is no, he's come to realize.
Was he in contact with Snoke before that? For a short time, yes, that he knew. But for how long before that in a way he didn't realize... Kylo has wondered, from time to time.
He lets out a vague hum in reply, giving up on putting any words to it.]
[It's not much of an answer, if she was hoping for something direct, but that hum tells Leia more than enough about Snoke and Ben's relationship. Because if he's not saying, then he must have known him for some time before then, and that just worries her. Just how long had Ben known Snoke? Was it something she, Han, and Luke could have seen but missed? It raises a lot of questions, some Leia doesn't exactly want answers to, but needs to know, if it will help her understand Ben and why things turned out this way.]
For how long?
[She only has a feeling it's longer than he's been letting on, perhaps before he destroyed Luke's school and his other students. And because she feels he's been in contact with this Snoke for so long, Leia can't help but add on:]
[Kylo's answer is quiet, almost... resigned. He seems to have lost most of the anger related to Leia's presence and the earlier part of their conversation. Thinking about Snoke these days just drains him of feeling, and the chair starts to go grey under him.]
[That answer is exactly what she feared. She can't control the chill that settles around the both of them at those three words. Because it's an answer, yes, but it's an answer that invites more questions than it answers, about Ben's actions and childhood and things she and Han should have but evidently didn't notice.
Her concern, and even a fair amount of fear, is evident on her expression, and she makes no effort to hide it. Even if she wanted to, even with all the practice and training she's had putting on a mask in front of others, she would've found it difficult to conceal those emotions.]
He's not here.
[Which she knows she just said, but she repeats it, and she isn't sure whether it's to reassure Ben or herself.]
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lostapprentice) wrote2035-01-06 02:37 am
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Are you in a relationship with Hux?
[She could ask Hux for his opinion on this, but she doesn't exactly trust him to give her an accurate answer on anything aside from how many planets he's blown up. ...Well that and she doesn't like spending time around him in the first place, and asking him whether he's dating her son would require that. It was easier and more respectful to ask Ben first.]
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So the only thing that comes to mind is—]
Were you—spying on me!?
[The temperature spikes suddenly, enough to make Ren sweat, but he's more preoccupied with the idea that she may have seen something meant only for him and Hux.]
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[She crosses her arms in front of her, her turn to feel slightly defensive, it seems. Leia wouldn't consider it spying exactly. Technically it was, but it was out of concern for Ben that she did it in the first place. Even if he may not talk to her or want her around, she can't help but continuously be concerned for his health and well-being, and she had left when it was clear just what she was witnessing.]
Is that a yes?
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That's absolutely none of your business.
[It's a yes, obviously. But he has absolutely no reason to share this with her when he knows all he'll get from that is disapproval and disappointment.]
And I'd appreciate if you'd keep yourself out of my private life.
[Even though he knows there's little he can actually do about it, there's still a threat in the hissed words. It's just something that comes along with his anger.]
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She'd been jealous before that Ben would talk to Hux and not her or Han or anyone she'd want him to open up with. But, at the same time--and though she'd never admit it aloud to anyone--she was thankful, somewhat, that even though he's a horrible influence, Ben had someone around that he did trust. That he wasn't on his own and isolated from everyone else from their galaxy by his choice and his circumstances here.
As expected, perhaps, Leia stands her ground, aware of Ben's anger and the threat in those words, but she's not quite done questioning him.]
Is he kind to you?
[She questions his taste in partners, yes, but Leia is well aware her disapproval won't matter much to Ben, and in fact might just make him more willing to jump into this relationship. And she may hate Hux, but Ben's happiness and well-being is more important than that.]
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He blinks a few times as he attempts to reorient himself in the situation, his brow twitching.]
He—
[He has to look away from her eyes in order to give anything resembling an answer; he has to put up every wall he has, in fact, including the defensive nature of the response itself.]
Obviously.
[Kylo wouldn't have feelings for him otherwise.]
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...Good.
[Which is how she genuinely feels. The idea of Ben dating someone she dislikes as much as Hux isn't good, no, but him treating Ben kindly is. It's more than she thought capable from him. And it brings perhaps a bit more clarity to a different interaction of theirs.]
I suppose that's why he was so defensive about your name, then.
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His scowl becomes one more of curiosity when she brings up a conversation she's apparently had, however, softening slightly.]
My name? [It wasn't something he expected to come up.] Did he tell you to call me Kylo Ren?
[That's a little touching.]
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[If she sounds skeptical while relaying that information, it's because she absolutely is. Generally because if anything, she would expect the First Order to use the son of two of the heroes of the Rebellion as proof that their way is correct enough to attract even the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa. But if they're in a relationship, it explains more of his defensiveness.]
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It is, by decree of Supreme Leader.
[Seeing nothing strange about this, or about the idea that she might not know about Snoke, he moves right on ahead with the things that do stick out as strange to him.]
I'm surprised he brought it up. As if you could be convinced to stop calling me that.
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Supreme Leader?
[That's where her attention is focused, not so much that he apparently did decree that Ben Solo is outlawed.]
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His hand stills where he was bringing it through his hair, and he shoots her a glance that's not startled exactly, but it is intense enough to invite question. But then he looks away, determined not to react any more noticeably than that. He makes his response deliberately sarcastic.]
The First Order isn't ruled by a council.
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I thought you intended to rule the galaxy.
[He'd screamed as much at her when she first arrived and went to see him.]
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The master was once an apprentice. I still have things to learn before then.
[He's... honestly not sure if he'll ever truly get to that point. But that's what the old him would say, so the words come easily enough.]
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Who is he?
[The wording of what he's said only makes her think it's connected to the Force, or at least his training in it. If only because she's not sure what else he would have been trained in besides how to wield the Force. She was sure Luke had been teaching him, before everything went wrong, though, so part of her feels that must be off-base.]
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He rests his chin against his hand.]
Supreme Leader Snoke is my teacher. He was the one who appointed me Master of the Knights of Ren.
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The name means nothing to her, as expected. She has no idea where Snoke may have come from or who he truly is, which means she has no idea how to prevent him from teaching Ben.]
He's a Sith Lord, then?
[Her knowledge of any of that is still very minimal, but from what little he's described, it sounds like he must be. Or something along those lines.]
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No. The Sith died with Darth Vader and the Emperor. ... he doesn't have a... title like that.
[... that he knows. Admittedly he only knows so much about Supreme Leader
out of necessity, because nobody knows much about him yet. Hurry it up Disney.]no subject
He seems like a secretive being.
[Not unexpected, but worth noting, as obvious as it is. Her tone is dry and flat as she remarks on that, unhappy with how much more difficult it makes everything.]
You turned to him after everything with Luke?
[With Luke, with everything that prompted him to destroy Luke's school, all of that.]
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Necessarily so.
[That's just how it is with dark siders, really. But a faint line forms between his eyebrows as he continues staring past his wall, and his answer is strangely vague for being as straightforward as it seems.]
Yes.
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...Did you know him before that?
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Did he know Snoke? Well, does Kylo even "know" him now? The answer to that is no, he's come to realize.
Was he in contact with Snoke before that? For a short time, yes, that he knew. But for how long before that in a way he didn't realize... Kylo has wondered, from time to time.
He lets out a vague hum in reply, giving up on putting any words to it.]
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For how long?
[She only has a feeling it's longer than he's been letting on, perhaps before he destroyed Luke's school and his other students. And because she feels he's been in contact with this Snoke for so long, Leia can't help but add on:]
He can't hear you here.
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I don't know.
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Her concern, and even a fair amount of fear, is evident on her expression, and she makes no effort to hide it. Even if she wanted to, even with all the practice and training she's had putting on a mask in front of others, she would've found it difficult to conceal those emotions.]
He's not here.
[Which she knows she just said, but she repeats it, and she isn't sure whether it's to reassure Ben or herself.]
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