assumptions kept him alive. the assumption that no other was allowed to be stronger, that failure was unacceptable, and that any punishment at the hands of his master would be intolerable. or how a snide tongue, a whispered word were all marks of a blossoming enemy and kylo ren left those ruinous enough as maimed flesh in his wake.
when the woman spoke aloud, ren decided he hated her voice. its cold charisma was grotesque and reminded him of the sniveling imperials that wielded decorum like divine weaponry. but then to sense her thrill at the danger of him, to see the part of her that was as much a hunter as he, was intoxicating.
for a moment, the young man wondered if he should snap her neck now. give her fitting end to that piqued interest, but she did something the sith did not expect. the stranger was nearly upon him, her skin hovered an increment away from the dense metal of his helm. she gazed into him and for a moment he felt unmasked when suddenly the chaos around them subsided.
kylo ren glanced around as he felt a yawn of power slide off the woman and into the crowd. the stimuli that vexed him was replaced by a malleable silence that closed in like a curtain. intrigued, the young man studied the dispersing herd as if he could glean her technique from the way they drunkenly stumbled away.
❝ very persuasive, ❞ there was recognition in his tone but also mockery. whether it was for her or the weak-willed patrons remained to be seen.
placated by his curiosity, kylo ren allowed for his arms to cross over his chest. his guard remained a pulsating malevolence enveloping the very air around him, but his thoughts were no longer fixated on how painful he’d make her death.
❝ i do not make threats. i make promises, ❞ the knight said, his head tilted hungrily, ❝ and i’m a man of my word. i would hate for you to cross me. ❞
when she offered the bottle, he dismissed her gesture with a derisive scoff. kylo ren’s paranoia was too ingrained to allow such frivolity and spare him a moment of dulled senses. he was no fool to think a single breath of weakness wasn’t enough to end his reign.
ren peeled away and stalked a circle around her. his arms no longer resting against his chest but at his sides, ready to strike. ❝ tell me, who do you seek? the merciless enforcer of the inevitable first order? ❞ the shadow of a man leaned into her ear as he passed and hissed, ❝ or the sith? ❞
she was too much of a pragmatic to not empathize with that one. she knew the ruthlessness of life; embodied it. there was no way for compassion to thrive when it came to learning how to survive. she had spent a decade on the streets, learning the hard way, and still the best lesson was NO TRUST. she didn’t need him to trust her, &&. she was far too smart to ever trust a word from him.
still, no man, or woman, was an island. she could feel his anger, his constant simmering rage, his penchance for violence dripping down, tarry &&. black &&. willing to rot away any betraying emotions. still, all those years of learning the enemy came in handy; although she was almost pleased in admitting she’d never met someone so readily accepting of her challenge.
there was something about him that was almost intoxicating. some part of her reacted to his passion, so violent &&. caustic, with a similar thrill, lined with pain &&. adrenaline, something yearning to consume away.
❝ thank you, ❞ she said, eyebrows raised, one side of her mouth lifting. an implication: i know what you mean to say &&. i know why you say it. she wouldn’t bet money on it, but he was intrigued. he’d also, perhaps, underestimated her. both were good. she kept herself ready, each atom ready to phase; her motions as she sipped her drink were conversely almost musical in their flow.
she took the bottle away in a second, placed it to the side. a brief glance at the now empty place they occupied. he was still on edge, but that would never stop - she had discerned that in seconds. his constant suspicion was his burden, but one she continued to share, if not as openly express. ❝ some would call that honor. ❞ she says, a similar intonation to his double-edged compliment. ❝ but, then again, i consider myself to be a woman of my word. so let me give you one: i have no concern with your first order proclivities, or with the doctrine that you follow. ❞
she won’t move away from him. that much she knows. everything is a game. ❝ everything is at stake in your world, so i understand your consistent promises. if anything, you should realize by now that you &&. i live by the same rules of nature. ❞ she looks at him again, looks straight at him. ❝ so you see, i am not here for the enforcer or the sith. i seek he who exists beyond the constrictions of the two choices, i am here for he who is behind the mask. ❞
