[Most of what she knows about Hux is that he's a dick that blows up planets, and that he's physically not very strong. And that he burns when out in the sun for like two seconds, probably. But that doesn't mean she's forgotten the time she visited ages ago where Hux was eating a plain, untoasted bagel with no toppings on it whatsoever. So the very idea is enough to bring a faint amused smile to Leia's face.]
No, I doubt that would go over well.
[But that aside--]
What is it you're making?
[And another pause, before remembering the original reason she was here. Leia holds out the container she brought with her for Kylo to take, if he's so inclined.]
I brought this for you, but you might have to put it away for later if you're already cooking for yourself.
[Hux is pretty competent at making tea. That's about all Ren is willing to give him culinary-wise, even if there are many other things he likes about the general.]
Dinner. Which I had already planned, so yes, I'll have to.
[He knows better than to admit to what exactly he's making, lest Leia take it the wrong way. ... he goes ahead and takes the dish, however, because he knows she probably won't leave until he does.]
[His automatic, defensive response to Leia digging a little too deeply.]
You did what you came here for, I assume. [That and the way he half turns back towards the inside are clear indications he intends for her to leave. He does, however, pause to make sure she will actually leave, though he glances at the dish in his hand briefly, starting to consider opening it.]
[Sorry Kylo, Leia's not about to actually leave just yet. If he does open the container, he'll find what's a less polished looking version of the same stew he's in the middle of cooking. It'll still taste good, probably, just not quite at the level his might. Too heavy on the spices, if anything.]
Is it honestly that much trouble for you to answer one question, Ben?
Yes, it is. If I give you an inch you'll take a parsec.
[He does actually pause to glance under the lid and take a sniff.
... it's a very familiar scent. He stares for a moment before lowering his eyelids and resolutely putting the lid back on. His lips thin for a moment at the sheer coincidence.
Even more reason not to explain. Kylo does, however, shoot her a suspicious glance.]
[She turns in just enough time to catch that suspicious glance. It's the last thing she expected, especially after another anticipated refusal to answer her questions. She expected exasperation, or something more along those lines. Not suspicion.
She raises her eyebrows, meeting Kylo's glance with an incredibly confused look of her own.]
[Turning the questions back on her is a fantastic way to avoid answering any she sends his way. It's a classic defense mechanism, along with denial and sarcasm.]
[Unfortunately for Kylo, this question, at least, is one Leia doesn't mind answering, as baffled as she looks by him asking it in the first place.]
It's something I was missing.
[Not just from home, but at home, too. It's not something they would've had much time or the right ingredients to make on any base in the Alliance, probably. And though the ingredients here aren't quite right, either, there are ways around that. And figuring out those substitute ingredients with her father helps make things feel more like they should.]
I thought I'd share some with you. It's not perfect, but it's close to what I remember it tasting like.
[So just because she felt like it. It feels like the Force is conspiring against him and his desires for a mother-free life.]
Wonderful. I'll be sure to dispose of it when I've confirmed it's subpar.
[He has to vent now to keep his own batch from getting too salty. But he turns to head inside in earnest now, one hand about to shove the door shut in Leia's face. He has to make sure things aren't burning.]
[It's Kylo's reaction to the food in the dish combined with the all-too-familiar smell that finally makes it click just what he must have been doing. She places a hand on the door, just to try and delay any door slamming for as long as possible. She glances at Kylo suspiciously before trying to peer in beside him, as if somehow that'll grant her the ability to see whatever's cooking in his kitchen.]
This is what you're making, isn't it?
[Alderaanian food, not something he picked up here or on another planet. Her sort of food.]
[Kylo scowls at the combination of Leia holding the door open and her unfortunately true suggestion. To say he looks offended would be putting it lightly.]
Don't be a fool. Why would I be making something from Alderaan?
[He might not realize she hasn't said Alderaan, even if the implication had been obvious, but Leia certainly does. She only looks even more suspicious at his poor denial, even though inside she's proud that he recognizes Alderaanian food on sight. Or on smell. Either way.]
[To no surprise to Kylo, what Leia decides to do is follow him right on inside and into the kitchen. She's seen him cook before, and she knows it's something he's both good at and likes doing, but it's still something that both surprises and interests her. Both her and Han aren't the greatest chefs (passable, yes, but she has a hard time imagining them not letting a droid cook most of the time back home), so it's interesting how Ben picked this hobby up.]
[Ren lets out a steadying breath in order to calm himself... or at least to temporarily suppress his irritation. He's had a few kitchen disasters in the past thanks to his temper, and he'd rather not ruin something he's almost finished.]
I don't make it because it's from Alderaan. And stay in the dining room, you'll be in my way in the kitchen.
[It's open enough that she'll be able to see and talk to him, so it's not the worst request-slash-demand he can make, at least. But as usual, he refuses to answer the question directly, because that means he'd have to acknowledge that she deserves some respect...]
[It's not the worst request he could make, and it's one Leia doesn't mind complying with in hopes of prolonging this visit. She moves barely outside of the kitchen, lingering by the doorway on the dining room's side, her attention fully fixed on Kylo and his cooking.]
[Kylo drops the dish Leia brought him down on the counter a little more harshly than necessary, but the noise doesn't bother him. He moves over to the stove and uncovers the pot there, stirring it with a utensil he'd left nearby. He's had to control himself under greater stress than this, he reassures himself.]
Some of it is palatable.
[After a brief taste, he pulls out a container of from the cabinet nearby and puts a few shakes of a spice into the stew. Focusing on what he's doing should help with his annoyance, at least. It usually does.]
[Leia frowns a bit at just how harshly that dish is dropped, but it doesn't break, so at least that's something. But her concern over the dish doesn't last long, instead replaced with a fascination as she watches Ben do his work.]
I'm glad to hear you like it. I'd hoped we would've shared some of that with you.
[well, she hasn't even shared much about Alderaanian food with Han back home, but she doesn't have many doubts that he'd find a few things, at least, that he'd like there.]
[Even if his words are as sharp as ever, the tone behind them is far more dull.]
On the rare occasions you deigned to spend time on me, you wouldn't let me forget about it.
[After another taste test, he apparently finds it good enough and simply stirs a few more times before covering the pot again and lowering the heat. He's not done in the kitchen, however; he retrieves a block of cheese from the icebox and pulls out a few other things to start grating some of it. At least he doesn't seem to be outwardly annoyed anymore... even if it's because he's willfully ignoring her presence.]
[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.
[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.]
[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.]
[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.]
[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.]
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lostapprentice) wrote2035-01-06 02:37 am
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No, I doubt that would go over well.
[But that aside--]
What is it you're making?
[And another pause, before remembering the original reason she was here. Leia holds out the container she brought with her for Kylo to take, if he's so inclined.]
I brought this for you, but you might have to put it away for later if you're already cooking for yourself.
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Dinner. Which I had already planned, so yes, I'll have to.
[He knows better than to admit to what exactly he's making, lest Leia take it the wrong way. ... he goes ahead and takes the dish, however, because he knows she probably won't leave until he does.]
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Yes, but what is it?
[She pauses, again, trying to place just what she's smelling here. It doesn't seem much like anything she's eaten here.]
It's something from home, isn't it?
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[His automatic, defensive response to Leia digging a little too deeply.]
You did what you came here for, I assume. [That and the way he half turns back towards the inside are clear indications he intends for her to leave. He does, however, pause to make sure she will actually leave, though he glances at the dish in his hand briefly, starting to consider opening it.]
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Is it honestly that much trouble for you to answer one question, Ben?
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[He does actually pause to glance under the lid and take a sniff.
... it's a very familiar scent. He stares for a moment before lowering his eyelids and resolutely putting the lid back on. His lips thin for a moment at the sheer coincidence.
Even more reason not to explain. Kylo does, however, shoot her a suspicious glance.]
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She raises her eyebrows, meeting Kylo's glance with an incredibly confused look of her own.]
What is it?
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[Turning the questions back on her is a fantastic way to avoid answering any she sends his way. It's a classic defense mechanism, along with denial and sarcasm.]
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It's something I was missing.
[Not just from home, but at home, too. It's not something they would've had much time or the right ingredients to make on any base in the Alliance, probably. And though the ingredients here aren't quite right, either, there are ways around that. And figuring out those substitute ingredients with her father helps make things feel more like they should.]
I thought I'd share some with you. It's not perfect, but it's close to what I remember it tasting like.
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Wonderful. I'll be sure to dispose of it when I've confirmed it's subpar.
[He has to vent now to keep his own batch from getting too salty. But he turns to head inside in earnest now, one hand about to shove the door shut in Leia's face. He has to make sure things aren't burning.]
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This is what you're making, isn't it?
[Alderaanian food, not something he picked up here or on another planet. Her sort of food.]
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unfortunately truesuggestion. To say he looks offended would be putting it lightly.]Don't be a fool. Why would I be making something from Alderaan?
[Guess what he doesn't realize she hasn't said]
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I didn't say I made something from Alderaan.
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His scowl only intensifies. The urge to continue to deny it is strong, but he can tell there's little point anymore.]
Never mention this to anyone.
[At that, he turns on his heel and storms into the kitchen, ceasing his attempts to close the door on Leia and leaving her to do as she wishes.]
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Do you cook food from Alderaan often?
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I don't make it because it's from Alderaan. And stay in the dining room, you'll be in my way in the kitchen.
[It's open enough that she'll be able to see and talk to him, so it's not the worst request-slash-demand he can make, at least. But as usual, he refuses to answer the question directly, because that means he'd have to acknowledge that she deserves some respect...]
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But you like that kind of food, don't you?
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Some of it is palatable.
[After a brief taste, he pulls out a container of from the cabinet nearby and puts a few shakes of a spice into the stew. Focusing on what he's doing should help with his annoyance, at least. It usually does.]
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I'm glad to hear you like it. I'd hoped we would've shared some of that with you.
[well, she hasn't even shared much about Alderaanian food with Han back home, but she doesn't have many doubts that he'd find a few things, at least, that he'd like there.]
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On the rare occasions you deigned to spend time on me, you wouldn't let me forget about it.
[After another taste test, he apparently finds it good enough and simply stirs a few more times before covering the pot again and lowering the heat. He's not done in the kitchen, however; he retrieves a block of cheese from the icebox and pulls out a few other things to start grating some of it. At least he doesn't seem to be outwardly annoyed anymore... even if it's because he's willfully ignoring her presence.]
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I'm glad to hear it. There's a lot on Alderaan that I wish both you and your father could've experienced.
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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.]
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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.]
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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.]
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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.]
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