HE TENDS A LONELY FIRE, wrapped in hand stitched bundles left over from patchwork uniforms, barely held together by the wicker threads he mulls over in his fingers, making quick work of the patchwork as the wind bites through with shrewd intent, but he doesn’t so much care about the cold. it’s not the cold that keeps him company, not the cold that whispers to him ( not the cold by itself, anyways ) and at the tug in his gut, not the only thing to keep him company in the physical force.
it’s…elusive to him, slipping through his fingers much the same as it always did, desperate beyond admonition in his exile to hope, even for a second, that perhaps it will indulge him…not the worst he’s ever dared to hope, as pathetic as it sometimes sounds to him. the idolatry of his youth, awash in the sins of his ritual, and though he doesn’t carry his colours quite as vibrant anymore, he is every bit as dangerous still, hardened from a wearied practice, and unmoved at the feeling that echoes the roils of his past…
‘ ―do you know who i am? ’
it’s a trick question, affords him a sense of insight without turning at his behest. the eponymous trust of the fairer folk in this world is abhorrent to him, and especially dwelling in the underealms as he has been since the fall of the empire, is not a courtesy he can afford. still, he wonders at the timing of it, the whispers relayed to him with ash in their wake…a temple desecrated.
he hopes to wonder beyond a sense of pride at his own reputation; even with his prior ranking accounted for, forlorn of his armor, it does not afford him the luxury of identity…not in the common sense. the ritualistic perversion of the politics that accompany the inner rims, the accountability it holds in the underealms, and though he still clings to something of himself, he has made new names for himself…new reputations.
so which one does he approach him with?
❛ ... wouldn’t be here if i didn’t. ❜ he’s curt with his response, not bothering to peer down at the vagrant before him. this isn’t something kylo ren is fond of doing, fetching off for someone who might not even be who snoke says he is, or might not even be particularly anyone. though, he would not disobey his master, regardless of the circumstance. a desolate planet with a name not worth mentioning, housing miscreants and vandals and rogues alike. one might say kylo is quite familiar with these kinds of people, but that is a past he has left behind, burning under a pile of rubble at his own hand.
beside him stand a squad of loyal stormtroopers, members of the first order. each carrying a blaster, ready to use at a moment’s notice, at kylo’s behest. not that he wasn’t keen on using his own abilities, if he had to. it would go against snoke’s wishes, and that wasn’t a conversation he was ready to have. he will be useful, kylo ren. he is more like you than you know. someone sensitive to the force just as he? or something else. he wasn’t quite sure what to think of these new developments, but someone such as he living in such squalor? how could he be of any use?
it’s a wonder how anyone could be found in a city where those who wish to disappear can so easily, but snoke was right in one aspect. it’s there, like a whisper. innate in its nature. it’s interesting, to say the least. kylo doesn’t offer a glance down at the man, yet keeps him within peripheral vision. one false move, and his lightsaber will find a new sheathe within the stranger’s body.
a moment, silent before he exhaled, annoyance hidden under his mask. ❛ i was told i could find someone here. someone trained in ways most aren’t. i’m not inclined to believe that could be you, but i have been wrong before. tell me --- am i wrong, stranger? ❜ most would wait for a response, but he grows tired of waiting and there are preparations he must take before being on his way.
slight turn to face one of his troopers, a silent order to accost the man that sat before them. to the rest, it may seem like kylo wanted this over with, but there was an underlying motive. to see what he was capable of, and the only way to do that was with a sacrificial lamb. ❛ SC-6738, get him on his feet. we’re leaving this place at once. ❜ his order is swift, a step back for a moment to observe, hand opening to allow quick equipping of his weapon if the moment presents itself.