[It's as she expected, minus that mention of Hux. Hux is now an issue for another time, and even though she still does and probably always would hate the man, she can't help but wonder if he too was pushed toward mass-murder and planet destruction thanks to this Snoke. Not that she expects Hux to have been a good person without Snoke's influence; it's the question of just how much influence Snoke had on him.
She purses her lips, exhaling as she considers his answer, obvious though it may have been, and the implications of it. As well as the other questions she truly wants to ask.]
Did he tell you to destroy Luke's school?
[Did he tell him to kill Han? That's what she really wants to ask, but it's too painful of a subject for her to come out and ask it directly.]
[Ren is silent for a while, his gaze turning to hers to examine her expression, and in doing so he gets a sense of what she truly means. He answers in a way that would be true for all of it.]
He encouraged it. But the decision was mine.
[He doesn't want Leia to get any false ideas about the kind of man her son is.]
[It's what she was both hoping for and afraid of: that this Snoke had been guiding Ben's actions, pushing him toward the sort of person he became as Kylo Ren. Because it can't have just been Luke's school that he enabled, there had to be more than that. Ben may have made the decision to go through with those actions, but if it was Snoke that put the idea there in the first place and pushed him toward it, just how much of that was actually Ben's decision?
Her assumption is no doubt the opposite of what he intended, but her need to know there's still good in Ben and her need to find a way to explain all of what she knows to happen in the future has led her to this assumption.]
[He dismisses her thanks with a huff, turning his eyes away again. Whatever makes her feel better, he guesses.]
It doesn't matter.
[Kylo gets to his feet, and in his turning towards the kitchen he knocks the side table slightly off kilter, but he hardly pays it any attention. He doesn't give much thought to the fact that his sea-green amulet is resting on top of it, either, or the fact that it's jarred from its original position, where it was largely not visible from Leia's perspective. He especially doesn't think about the fact that it's very recognizably the crest of Alderaan.]
[Kylo may not pay it much attention, but the sound of him knocking the table jars Leia from her thoughts, and her gaze is almost immediately drawn to the amulet, now that she can see it. It's more than obvious to her what it is, there's no way that crest is something she'd ever forget. She can't quite draw her attention from it, staring--almost transfixed--at what's clearly an amulet and clearly shaped like her family's crest.]
That's...
[She trails off, almost reaching for the amulet before she catches herself and draws her hand back. There's a slight glow around her, the table itself every so slightly brighter than before, as she looks on the amulet.]
[Of course, now that Kylo's attention is off of her entirely, he doesn't bother turning back when she questions him, focusing on getting himself a cold drink instead. His response is flat, uninterested.]
[She wants to pick it up and look at it more closely, but she isn't sure whether Ben will tolerate that. So instead she steps closer to the table, crouching down slightly to get a better look that way.]
It's not what I expected.
[because it's a symbol of the sort of legacy she wanted him to have, the legacy she embraced. The one he rejected and ripped to shreds when he decided Darth Vader was more worthy of being considered his family than the Organas.]
[With a curious frown and a glass of juice now in hand, Ren turns to actually figure out what Leia is referring to.]
What's—
[And of course, when he actually sees what she's looking at, his frown turns into a glare and his tone becomes annoyed. His free hand shoots out and the amulet zips into his palm, fingers closing around it and removing it from sight.]
[She looks at him curiously as he quickly calls the amulet to him and holds it out of her sight. It's not that he's wrong, because they don't choose the shape of their amulets. But all the same--]
No, but it's a bit unusual for it to be a coincidence.
[Kylo hopes this illustrates what he thinks of whatever she's trying to imply. That is, that he thinks there's absolutely nothing indicative of them at all.
Just because he technically has that connection to Alderaan doesn't mean he accepts it.]
[She raises an eyebrow at the description of what his last crystal was. Sure, that one was entirely less related to Ben than this one is, but she doesn't think it means this one has no reason behind it.]
And yet this is the crystal that went to you, when it could have gone to others you doubtlessly consider more connected to that symbol than you are.
[Her attention follows his hand, but not entirely because of his gesturing. She's looking for any slight glimpse of the amulet again, especially the image of it next to Ben to keep in her memory.]
I can't say you're wrong. There's very little about this place that makes sense.
[Or maybe it's only meant to seem that way. Who knows. Either way, she plans on interpreting the meaning of that crystal--if there is any--in the exact opposite way he wants.]
[Her expression melds back into a more guarded, distanced sort of expression, because she knows Ben discarded that heritage and it hurts to hear it. This was more his heritage than anything connected to Vader, to the family she didn't even know besides Luke, but he can't seem to accept that.]
Then perhaps you'll wind up with something you consider more fitting next time.
[She'd like to stay, considering that their conversation aside from the initial outburst had been far more successful than nearly any she'd had with Ben thus far. But she has no real reason to stay beyond that desire, and nothing else to question him about now.]
No, that's all I needed to know.
[So she moves toward the door, pausing momentarily to add--]
Though I'd also like to remind you to exercise restraint and not attack others. I don't want you to fall back under heightened supervision from the Enforcers.
[Well that and she doesn't want others from their galaxy to get hurt by him. Because she knows what happened between him and Finn, and she isn't happy about it.]
[it's a good thing he's forgotten because she's not about to leave on that note. She frowns, crossing her arms in front of her at Ben's apparent amusement.]
Finn wasn't complaining. I ran into him and noticed his face was bruised, and he said you were responsible.
[also she really questions what you find enjoyable, Ben.........]
[That just earns Kylo the flattest, most unamused stare. Because that's literally the opposite of what she said to do here, Ben, why do you not listen???]
I'd hope, if that's your plan, that you make sure he actually wants to spar with you. I don't want you to have to go back under constant supervision.
[And the threat of supervision? It only makes him pull out another, slightly related topic, though he watches her with narrowed eyes for several silent moments first.]
There's a flash of suspicion in Leia's expression at his question, but it vanishes quickly, replaced with something more difficult to read. Suspicion, only because she knows who Bodhi is and what he helped them accomplish, as well as Ben's thoughts on people he perceives as traitors. (shoutout to Finn)]
I haven't seen much of him since the wedding, admittedly.
[But now that she considers it, she should've paid closer attention to Bodhi, she should've checked in with him more frequently. Especially knowing Krennic is here and just who Krennic happened to be. There's no one else she can imagine being responsible for this, considering she doesn't think Hux would attack someone who had betrayed the Empire long before his time.]
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lostapprentice) wrote2035-01-06 02:37 am
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She purses her lips, exhaling as she considers his answer, obvious though it may have been, and the implications of it. As well as the other questions she truly wants to ask.]
Did he tell you to destroy Luke's school?
[Did he tell him to kill Han? That's what she really wants to ask, but it's too painful of a subject for her to come out and ask it directly.]
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He encouraged it. But the decision was mine.
[He doesn't want Leia to get any false ideas about the kind of man her son is.]
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Her assumption is no doubt the opposite of what he intended, but her need to know there's still good in Ben and her need to find a way to explain all of what she knows to happen in the future has led her to this assumption.]
Thank you for telling me this.
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It doesn't matter.
[Kylo gets to his feet, and in his turning towards the kitchen he knocks the side table slightly off kilter, but he hardly pays it any attention. He doesn't give much thought to the fact that his sea-green amulet is resting on top of it, either, or the fact that it's jarred from its original position, where it was largely not visible from Leia's perspective. He especially doesn't think about the fact that it's very recognizably the crest of Alderaan.]
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That's...
[She trails off, almost reaching for the amulet before she catches herself and draws her hand back. There's a slight glow around her, the table itself every so slightly brighter than before, as she looks on the amulet.]
That's yours?
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If it's in my house, it's going to be mine.
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It's not what I expected.
[because it's a symbol of the sort of legacy she wanted him to have, the legacy she embraced. The one he rejected and ripped to shreds when he decided Darth Vader was more worthy of being considered his family than the Organas.]
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What's—
[And of course, when he actually sees what she's looking at, his frown turns into a glare and his tone becomes annoyed. His free hand shoots out and the amulet zips into his palm, fingers closing around it and removing it from sight.]
It's not like we choose them.
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No, but it's a bit unusual for it to be a coincidence.
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[Kylo hopes this illustrates what he thinks of whatever she's trying to imply. That is, that he thinks there's absolutely nothing indicative of them at all.
Just because he technically has that connection to Alderaan doesn't mean he accepts it.]
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And yet this is the crystal that went to you, when it could have gone to others you doubtlessly consider more connected to that symbol than you are.
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Have you looked around this place at all? Tell me what part of it makes any sense.
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I can't say you're wrong. There's very little about this place that makes sense.
[Or maybe it's only meant to seem that way. Who knows. Either way, she plans on interpreting the meaning of that crystal--if there is any--in the exact opposite way he wants.]
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... He doesn't expect her to accept it anyway, but at least he'll have made himself clear.]
Then don't think that this piece of rock has any meaning to me. I've discarded that heritage and you know it.
[He shoves the thing into his pocket, stepping forward so he's behind his armchair and taking a drink of his glass.]
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Then perhaps you'll wind up with something you consider more fitting next time.
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[He grumbles this at the wall before taking another sip, leaving his hand in his pocket.]
Is that all you came to discuss, or will I have to suffer your presence even longer?
[It's his way of asking if he needs to sit down again.]
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No, that's all I needed to know.
[So she moves toward the door, pausing momentarily to add--]
Though I'd also like to remind you to exercise restraint and not attack others. I don't want you to fall back under heightened supervision from the Enforcers.
[Well that and she doesn't want others from their galaxy to get hurt by him. Because she knows what happened between him and Finn, and she isn't happy about it.]
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If you're referring to the traitor, we merely had... a spar. [No harm done.] Is he complaining about it? I thought it was enjoyable.
[Apparently he's forgotten his desire to have Leia leave, with this new topic.]
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Finn wasn't complaining. I ran into him and noticed his face was bruised, and he said you were responsible.
[also she really questions what you find enjoyable, Ben.........]
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Good, maybe that means he'll be interested in another round. He did manage to get a few hits in, so it could be worthwhile.
[His split lip has healed by now, sadly. Ren would have only looked so much better than FN-2187 if not for the Force augmenting his natural healing.]
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I'd hope, if that's your plan, that you make sure he actually wants to spar with you. I don't want you to have to go back under constant supervision.
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I'm sure I could give him a few good reasons to.
[And the threat of supervision? It only makes him pull out another, slightly related topic, though he watches her with narrowed eyes for several silent moments first.]
... have you met a man named Rook recently?
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There's a flash of suspicion in Leia's expression at his question, but it vanishes quickly, replaced with something more difficult to read. Suspicion, only because she knows who Bodhi is and what he helped them accomplish, as well as Ben's thoughts on people he perceives as traitors. (shoutout to Finn)]
I have. Did something happen to him?
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I'm surprised you haven't heard. He was injured last month and took a while to recover. His arm was in a cast for at least a few weeks.
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[But now that she considers it, she should've paid closer attention to Bodhi, she should've checked in with him more frequently. Especially knowing Krennic is here and just who Krennic happened to be. There's no one else she can imagine being responsible for this, considering she doesn't think Hux would attack someone who had betrayed the Empire long before his time.]
How do you know him?
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