nysalogs | intro log continuations

[Continued from here.]

[Ren's almost tempted to brush it off. He doesn't need any of these items that he's looking at; he's lived in austerity for so long, and that's how he prefers it.

But there are merits to nurturing this... conversation for a bit longer. Perhaps the only thing of value regarding this man is his knowledge of economical shopping. Perhaps there's more to it. Either way, it doesn't hurt to see if there's anything more there.]

Care to show me?

[ Surprised as he is, David recovers quickly: ] Uh, sure.

[ He's not exactly an expert in the fine art of shopping but given that they've only been given a limited amount of silver to start, it makes sense to conserve it where possible.

Scanning the crowd, David locates the stall he mentions and immediately turns to head in that direction. ] Seems like you can probably find anything here if you look hard enough.

[Ren glances at a few of the stands they pass and the wares the vendors are selling. None of it seems to be remotely useful to him right now. Then again, he has the clothes on his back, a bed, and his lightsaber. The things he needs apart from that (and food) aren't tangible, anyway.]

I suppose. [It's still strange being here, despite being well-traveled. He's hardly been to a place quite like this one.] It's all a bit primitive.

[ They're not the only ones "window shopping" at least, the vendors largely tolerant — perhaps they hoped that indulgence now would net them return business later, or perhaps they were simply curious.

It doesn't matter. Ren didn't seem all that interested even before he makes his remark, though it's enough to have David move his eyes from the spread of wares to Ren, himself. ]

Yeah. [ He agrees, a hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck absently. It's nothing he hasn't thought himself, honestly. ] It's not exactly top of the line.

Still, people manage. [ Unspoken: we'll manage. And perhaps the more he says it, even to himself, the closer he'll come to believing it. ] It just takes a little while.

[It'll be an adjustment, certainly. Ren hasn't quite decided how he feels about it, but there's a lot to adjust to excluding the primitive lifestyle on this planet. At the very least, he's a survivor.

He'll survive.]

At least the station meets modern standards.

[And he's familiar with the concept of living off-world. It's the change of environment and loss of everything he's known that's difficult.]

Have you been back since you woke up? [ They drift along to the next store and David lingers over something that looks like it might be some kind of tool or it might as easily be an abstract sculpture of some kind.

A quick glance toward the stall-owner shows that he's busy assisting someone else, and David continues: ] Apparently we can go back any time we want.

[It's Ren's turn to glance over at David, frowning.]

I haven't, yet. Fresh air seemed like the better option. [Which isn't to say that the air quality in the middle of this city is that great, but the salty air by the ocean had been good, and that at the very least is an improvement from recycled air.]

Teleportation is a new one, I suppose. [Though it makes sense. A shuttle would be too conspicuous.]

It takes some getting used to. [ Murmured softly, almost absently. Maybe it's distance, maybe it's something else, but the few times he's managed it himself before it hadn't felt anything that. Like he'd been upended, his insides turned outside.

It would be a lie to say he's looking forward to experiencing that again. ]

There's more than enough to see down here, at least. [ The Market alone is packed with all kinds of goods, new stalls seem to rise from the paving stones like mushrooms every other day. ]

Depending upon what your definition of 'enough' is.

[It's difficult to be enthused about familiarizing himself with all that he can here. Despite having seen 'proof' enough that there's nothing left of the galaxy he once knew, he doesn't quite know what to do with himself.

He hasn't lacked a purpose in a very long time.]

[Ren raises a brow in response to her explanation. It occurs to him then that they all are from very different words, particuarly if shopping is one of her chief concerns.]

It shouldn't be difficult to find places to shop, though someone who has been here longer might have more specific ideas.

[He glances around, the finally picks a direction to head. Is it the correct way to the proper district? He hasn't the faintest idea. But it's a start.] Let's go this way.

[Having side-stepped her, it's easy to assume a defensive pose in the few moments he has before she turns around on him. He blocks the blow to his shoulder, then jumps back a bit.]

Not bad.

[It's the first thing he's said since they've started, and it's almost a compliment. He might not be taking this too seriously, but really, at least she offers a much-needed challenge.]

[ the strike to his shoulder is blocked, which is not surprising, but his minute little instance of praise is something wholly unexpected. ]

I'm just full of surprises, [ she breathes, shrugging off the compliment and backing down for the moment while circling him, saber still lit and at the ready in her hand. no sense in going on the offensive again so soon, not when he's at full strength and of sound mind — better to watch him and observe for any weaknesses. ]

...As you are. I didn't think you'd find your emotional center so quickly after what you did.

[He doesn't stay still--rather, he paces, countering her circling while being careful not to turn his back to her. Ren's still confident in his ability to handle her without issue, but her words have his attention.

He twirls his engaged lightsaber idly. He could ignore the taunting and move on, but admittedly, his curiosity is piqued. That, and this is what she seems to keep coming back to.]

I'll bite. What did I do? There's hardly anything compromising about our last encounter.

[Which is a lie. She got in his head, too, and exposed all of his vulnerabilities.]

[ and just like that rey can feel her anger returning, its cold grip condensing down her spine and pooling in her gut. she was doing so well before this too, keeping her head for the most part during the encounter, staying relatively calm and rational and not attacking with reckless passion.

that level-headedness may have just found its finite end. ]

What did you do? [ she throws his words back at him, eyes blazing. ] Now I know you really are a monster — there's no other explanation for your making a mockery of it.

This is getting old, don't you think?

[Calling him a monster feels a bit old, and certainly doesn't have much of a sting to it at all. But in this moment, Ren has determined that she's not going to be straight-forward with the information he wants.

Which means he'll just have to take it.

Which he obviously has no qualms about.

Without saying anything else, he uses the Force to infiltrate her mind in an attempt to pilfer through her memories to find out what she's talking about.]

[ since starkiller, rey has vowed to never allow someone into her head. least of all kylo ren — the memories he'd intentionally dredged up as he'd sifted through them like digital photographs, pulling them to the forefront of her mind, had left her gasping and writhing as if in physical pain. even though she'd resisted in the end and had turned his own power on him, she'll never allow him to weaken her that way ever again.

but when she feels the press of his mind this time like fingers probing into hers, she knows exactly what he's after. if he wants her to show him what that despicable act looked like on that walkbridge from her vantage point above, she'll be more than happy to reveal it to him in all of its stark horror...and if he tries anything further, she'll shut him out and unapologetically crush him.

so she lets him in, helpfully pulls up the more visceral parts of it herself, letting him watch as a bystander as she recalls the thin metal walkway above the oscillator, the way ren taunts his father and the way han beseeches him to remove the mask. she can't hear everything being said, but she hears snoke is using you for your power, and when he gets what he wants he'll crush you, and ren's weak denial as their voices grow softer. it's too late.

no, it's not. leave here with me, and come home. we miss you.

they're standing very close now, and even from this distance she can see how ren's features tremble and quiver, hear the emotive inflection in his voice. i'm being torn apart. i want to be free of this pain.

i know what i have to do, but i don't know if i have the strength to do it. will you help me?

and han's emphatic response. yes. anything. there's the heavy clunk of ren's helmet on the grate, and he's reaching for his crossguard saber to yield it to his father. han places a hand on its hilt.

and then the star above them darkens, in its last dying throes. ren is bathed in red.
from her viewpoint, rey's breath is still in her chest, hovering, waiting.

han has no time to look surprised before the lightsaber is suddenly lit, the sword piercing his chest and skewering him with red-limned fire. the only sound momentarily echoing through the oscillator's chamber is chewbacca's roaring howl of agony. ]

[It would be a lie to say he's not affected by what he sees, but that's not something he will allow Rey to see. Later, when he's alone he can process all of this and decide where to go from there. But as it stands, it's not something he's done yet.

Ren isn't even giving himself the time to consider whether he's surprised by this revelation. Instead, his focus turns entirely to ending this fight. When he comes at her this time, he's quick to close the distance, swinging his saber at full-force.]

[ she's distracted enough from the replay of han's death — and the confusing question of why ren would want her to replay it for him, if he'd known what it was that he'd done on that walkbridge — that she doesn't see the fast and heavy-handed strike coming. rey has barely enough strength in her arms to deflect the attack, but the brute force of it knocks her to the ground.

she tumbles, but gets back up again. he's a lot stronger than she's anticipated. ]

— You, [ she starts, still reeling even as he's coming at her again, bulldozing like an imperial walker, ] don't you remember what you did?

[ it's the only reasonable explanation as to why he would resort to dragging the memory out of her head. ]

[Once Rey is on the ground, he circles her, not unlike a predator waiting for just the right moment to lash out at its prey. Once she's on her feet again, he's closing the distance again for another offensive attack.]

Perhaps I wanted you to suffer all over again.

[He says it with enough conviction that if she wants to believe that, she can. It might even make sense: he's bitter, angry, and it stands to reason he has issues with his parents.

It's better than her knowing the actual intent behind wanting to see it. That he didn't do it. That he hasn't done it yet.]

[ the way he circles her while she's on the ground is eerily reminiscent of the way she'd done so in that forest on starkiller, and rey has another breathless moment of deja-vu. he's at her again the instant she gets to her feet.

she doesn't doubt his desire to make her suffer, either physically, mentally or emotionally, but it seems as though his answer is more an easy dismissal of her question. ]

You forget, [ she shouts out, gritting her teeth as they lock sabers forcefully again, ] you said wanted to teach me.

[ ...not that she'd accept, even in her rapidly-weakening state like this. ]

He has it coming. Too arrogant for his own good.

[Cassian crosses his arms, only sparing the other man a cursory glance over to remind himself of why the face is familiar.

Of course, not everything in the simulation had been part of a program.]

Planning on trying your own hand at some point?

[He smirks a bit at that, though it's brief and his face quickly returns to a more empty expression. That won't last long; he might not be the most easy person to read, but it's significantly easier to do without his helmet.

Ren regrets not having it right now, but blending in as much as he can is the imperative right now.]

I might, if there proves to be anyone able to be a challenge.

intro log continuations

David Haller

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Misa Amane

Rey

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from intro

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