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[sololoquy]

WISHLIST (TROS SPOILERS) anything force-bond related, but especially: slow-burn corruption (either direction) inappropriately timed force bond moments (both nsfw and humor approaches) dream-sharing emotional bleed/transference (from rey, involving other parties) inappropriate force bond voyeurism on rey/poe or rey/finn mid-conversation force bond interruption The Rise of Skywalker- Cross-galaxy chase of the Resistance anything related to ben solo, but especially: snoke confessionals with family or friends of family returning to the light smuggler life style jedi knight ben resistance-fighter ben The Rise of Skywalker- Force Ghost communications w/ Rey anything related to supreme leader kylo ren, but especially: fall via coup resistance fighter reconditioning (gen or nsfw) force ghost visits from anakin/luke/rey/leia/snoke defeat by the resistance, and subsequent aftermath The Rise of Skywalker- Mole Discovery w/ Hux canto bight: shady weapons deals picking up prisoners recruitment obligatory dinner party general casino shenanigans beach party basically any reason you can think of to use canto bight as a setting piece A note on romance: I will ship all of the new trilogy characters with Kylo Ren (except Snoke/Family). But I have no interest in exploring domestic-style takes on them. Thank you for understanding.

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[sololoquy]

[He watches the whole exchange with the cashier with an open mouth. He had heard of this before, but he had never really seen it in action. That would be one hell of a useful trick for smuggling operations. And yet, a tiny voice in the back of his mind is chastising him for letting it happen. He exhales the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding once they are out of the shop.]

Well...we are probably going to need to change our cover story anyway, with outfits from Hapes. I don’t know if I can do anything to hide this nose.

[He glances back in the direction of the Falcon, considering. But when he does, he immediately gets lost in weighing his options. The thought of giving up the Falcon made him physically ill, to the point of paling.

He could keep the dice, so he wouldn’t be giving up everything. But the Falcon was like his second childhood home, whenever he wasn’t on Chandrila.]

[forcevisions]

A stormtrooper's helmet would do the job.

[ She offers this, glancing fleetingly at him. Something's there, nagging at him, distracting him, but she can't put her finger on what. It's not hard to imagine, though, tetchy as he keeps being about the extent to which they both have to leave things behind to stand a chance.

He'd made an error in judgment, allowing himself to stay attached to things. But she'd be the one to pay for it if he didn't pull it together. ]

[sololoquy]

--what? No. Stormtroopers don't blend except with other Stormtroopers.

[It pulls him out of his distracted state to look down at her. Besides -- what kind of person who wasn't a stormtrooper just...wandered around with one of their helmets on? How ridiculous.]

...maybe I'll just lean into the prisoner deal. If someone recognizes me, just tell them you're claiming the bounty. I'll play along.

[Genius. He's a genius.]

[forcevisions]

[ I mean 90% of her social interaction (loosely defined) has been ordering stormtroopers around so they seem very well-blended to her. But they're on Hapes, where they wouldn't see one in a million years, and he's right that it would require the entire uniform.

Interestingly, she does not appear to have any compunctions about beating up a stormtrooper to steal their armor for him. Or murdering ??? Unclear. Survival is survival, yo. ]

A bounty hunter? [ She looks disdainful of painting herself as such, but ultimately it's ... the most logical thing either of them has managed to come up with. It does, however, prompt another scowl at her choice of clothing. ] Fine.

[sololoquy]

You're welcome.

[He didn't miss hear her tone, of course. He knows that she isn't exactly thrilled with that arrangement. But she'll figure it out -- even in her current attire. Maybe they could pick up something less ceremonial along the way.

Stepping back outside, he is able to further appreciate the beauty of the planet. He'd been around much of the galaxy and back but -- Hapes was something different. It was a shame that they were too likely to get caught in their small cities.

He might have enjoyed it here.]

We should eat while we're here. Maybe take some to-go.

[forcevisions]

[ Ben's priorities are far off from the First Order's. There's food on his ship — nothing glamorous, maybe, but food all the same. She would just as soon go back and eat that, or would have, had he not suggested the alternative. Some part of her will always be that starving orphan girl. Kira could never fully leave her behind; the fact that Rey had come out so readily only proves it.

As much as she hates it, that's all she'll ever be. That frightened, lost child who even her parents didn't want. ]

It's your credits.

[ She's certainly not paying for it, and sitting down to eat is not as easily dismissed as hastening out with new clothing. But she will take up the lead to draw him in the direction of a restaurant. ]

[sololoquy]

[He is about to speak up and shoot back. Its his credits as long as he's paying for him, sure. But she can buy her own damn food.

And then he has a thought. Not only does he not want to look like an asshole here, but whatever credit chip she has is probably being tracked by the First Order. It would be a fool's errand to let her use it.

So, he exhales heavily out of his nose and doesn't protest, allowing himself to be lead into the nearest Hapan restaurant.]

You better not be allergic to anything.

[Just to break that awkward, compliant silence.]

[forcevisions]

[ She doesn't answer. The answer should be obvious, really. Whatever health conditions she had surrounding food, if any, were never catered to by Snoke, so she has no delusions that it would be any different with Ben. It's not worth addressing. Instead, Kira simply carries on into what appears to be a romantic little café with potted plants wedged in the windows.

At this point, Kira's fish-out-of-water act is a foregone conclusion, but there's literally little flowers in vases on the middle of the tables. It's dainty. She's here anyway. It's the nearest place for food. She drops into a table like she's made of pure lead, and the seat groans like maybe it just isn't made for People Like Her. ]

Here.

[sololoquy]

[Ben hesitates at the door. The cafe isn't really his aesthetic either -- he probably should have been more clear about the whole food situation. Would he even be able to get a real meal here?

But Kira has already seated herself and drawn the attention of one of the attendants, and so he begrudgingly drags himself over to pick up one of the menus left at the table.

Once she is gone, he reaches forward to inspect what the vase is made of, and if the flower is real.]

Didn't take you for uh...the aesthetic.

[forcevisions]

[ She plucks the vase out of his hand and sets it aside on another table in the interest of not having to watch him fidget with it anymore. It has all the overtures of a parent scolding a child, which probably only benefits their cover story. ]

We're here to eat.

[ Not to appreciate the aesthetic??? For crying out loud. He's so easily distracted, it's a wonder he has escaped First Order custody for this long. She crosses one of her legs over the other, ankle atop her opposite knee, and takes up a menu. ]

[sololoquy]

[He is CLEARLY very offended when she chastises him and sets the menu back down on the table.]

How do you even live, eh? You're on the other side of the galaxy on a planet you've never seen before, and your first thought is how you can get back to space. Unbelievable.

[He's offended on her behalf, frankly -- even if she's doing it to herself. Naturally, Ben orders the most expensive item on the menu -- which isn't that expensive since its a cafe.

Look, all he wanted was some fresh dead animal, ok. And some caf.]

[forcevisions]

[ Alright, fair catch. She's awed by the city too, but she's not from a walk of life that can stop and appreciate it. It's remarkable, and it's fleeting. They're on the run and Snoke is close behind and they cannot forget it. Every moment wasted is a moment for him to catch up. She gets a moment to pack that away because it's time to order. Kira picks something egregiously sweet.

She's not entirely robotic. ]

This isn't a vacation. We're not here to enjoy ourselves.

[ Surely that is evident from the fact that she is on Hapes at all. No Force-user could enjoy themselves here. The sheer perpetual discomfort of fearing recognition and capture alone … even if she weren't currently fighting a nigh constant panic over Snoke's whereabouts and awareness of her failures. ]

[sololoquy]

No, but we can enjoy ourselves.

[Ben clearly doesn't follow her logic -- or maybe he just hasn't thought about the Force-user thing because it isn't a problem for him (as far as he knows).]

Hell, you do what you want. I'm going to enjoy myself as long as I can before I have to run for my damn life again.

[And that's that. He offers the hostess a pleasant half-smile when she delivers his caf. She makes a face at him, which causes it to melt away almost immediately.

Now he's grumpily sipping caf.]

[forcevisions]

[ Kira watches the exchange with an alien curiosity. ]

What was that?

[ Straight to the point. It sounds uncannily jealous but really it's just probing at what he means by ~enjoy ourselves~ when he's out here making waves. ]

[sololoquy]

[Ben obviously didn't notice what had been doing. As such, he glances over at Kira with a raised eyebrow and his cup to his lips; her tone catches him offguard. After lowering the cup from his mouth, he swipes his thumb across his upper lip to clear it of liquid.]

What was what?

[He looks over his shoulder to see what he missed.]

[forcevisions]

She doesn't like you.

[ The waitress, obviously. Kira doesn't glance that way, but she also doesn't feel like it needs further context??? Maybe he's being obtuse on purpose. ]

You're attracting attention we don't need. Stop smiling at people.

[sololoquy]

[UHM FUCKING RUDE??? Ben slouches back in his seat, looking immediately put out again. And maybe a little embarrassed. But only a little.]

Well excuse me, your highness. I wasn't flirting with her.

[Ok, maybe he was. A little.]

It's called being friendly. You should try it sometime.

[forcevisions]

[ Well she didn't think that but now that he's acting defensive about it ... Kira's not great with people, but she has basic inferential skills. She took a step, and there the conclusions were. She looks back after the waitress like she's trying to figure out what made him be like this is it this is the time for me to be flirting.

The answer, of course, is: she's Hapan. And beautiful. ]

I don't think I will.

[ It 100% doesn't help matters that she's gawking openly at the waitress with a look of offense on her face. This is digging them a deeper hole of the waitress' 'why is this dude making eyes while he's here with his girlfriend' attitude. ]

[sololoquy]

No, of course you won't. That's why I have to do all the talking -- because you don't know how to make friends.

[Ok, maybe that's a little harsh, but his ego is clearly bruised and he is trying to make up for it. But all that bluster doesn't eliminate his conscious, and he deflates almost as soon as he says it.

Awkwardly, he draws a circle around the ring of his cup.]

--that was...probably cruel of me. Sorry.

[Is that better or worse than asking a girl to smile? Asking for a friend.]

[forcevisions]

[ It is.

It's harsh and it's cruel, but it's both of those things because it's true. For that reason, when hurt dares to flicker through Rey's expression, she pushes it down violently. The Dark Side rises up, answering her pain and anger, a feedback loop that brings her new frustration for her inability to lash out in any meaningful way to expel what's pent up in her chest.

She considers killing him and moving on, but it's a two-fold problem. Using the Force here would ruin everything, and there's nothing satisfying her in the notion of Ben Solo's death. That, after all, had been the entire issue. ]

I'm going back to the ship.

[ She gets up. Yep. That's the solution. Leaving his presence immediately. If she's on his ship, he can't abandon her here. She'll just sit there and stare at the wall because she can't read the book well enough to get through it on her own. Maybe she'll make herself cry.

She turns to flag down the waitress for her food to go. ]

[sololoquy]

Kira...

[He sighs out her name with some obvious guilt — and yes, he knows her name. He shouldn’t feel guilt, really — this was the same girl who dragged him aboard her ship, tortured him, and kept him hostage. But he can’t help it; there’s something about her sheltered self that makes him feel like he’s kicked a dog.]

I can help you fix that problem if you just—listen to me.

[A beat.]

I’m making it worse. Yeah. Ok. I’ll just — wait here, I guess.

[At least give her the space she wants. She can’t leave without him, and he needs to eat.]

[forcevisions]

[ She doesn't know what's more insulting. That he thinks he can fix her, or that he wants to in the first place. As if she were some helpless lamb and not the most capable killer in the galaxy.

Kira can't stand to watch him anymore, so she dips out then to actively go get the waitress. They have a short conversation that sends the waitress into the kitchens, but she comes back with a lil doggie bag for Kira, who points meaningfully to Ben and then peaces out of the café in earnest.

She doesn't stop on her way back to the hangar. ]

[sololoquy]

[Its embarrassing when the hostess comes back with his meal. He doesn’t even look at her — somehow he knows what she is thinking, and he’s done this to himself. So when he finishes his meal, he pays for both and leaves with a cup of fresh caf. He’d rather it be something alcoholic, but — well, better that it wasn’t.

The nagging thought from the waitress bugs him until he leaves the café.

The repairs had to be nearly done. So eventually he arrives back at the hanger, glancing around for her. She isnt in his immediate line of sight but somehow it isn’t too hard to find her.]

[forcevisions]

[ When Ben returns to the ship, Kira is tucked away in his bunk. She has the book he gave her hugged to her chest, her lightsaber hilt stuffed under the thin pillow, and the open container of her food left bare of all but crumbs on the floor just beside.

She is curled up on her side in the fetal position, her back to the door. Asleep. Like this she looks deceptively harmless. ]

[sololoquy]

[Ben slips into his room, surprised to find Kira fast asleep — more surprised, perhaps, to find her all curled up like that. He cannot help but feel like he is seeing something he shouldn’t be seeing. Yet, he cannot ignore the draw he feels. She looks as if she might be cold.

Well, he very well isnt going to try and move her. So, after some careful maneuvering of his junk, he unearths a heavy weighted blanket. It might wake her, if she is a light sleeper, but it is all he has that isnt already on the bed.

And for a long second he just sort of hovers there, weighing the choice before him. Damn his bleeding heart. He isn’t cut out for this. So, he takes the chance and rests the blanket over her, intent on turning back around and exitting the room...provided she doesn’t wake and choke him to death.]