( Starting up again proves more difficult than he would have anticipated, the growing pain in his thigh reduced to a pinprick of constant throbbing that sees itself weighted down under the pressure of his own stubborn persistence. There is no room or opportunity available to allow himself a momentary lapse into weakness, and the relenting of his own propensity to grapple with injury would mean dropping the floodgates holding back the tide of Rey's mutual presence within his mind. Whether his pain would impact her in a way that might be debilitating were he to allow it to wrap around the both of them and squeeze is not within his frame of knowledge, not when the bond itself in this sort of heightened state is still so new and its territory still so unwalked, but it isn't a risk that he's willing to take when they need to be as aware of things as they possibly can be, never knowing what waits for them beyond the purpling horizon ushering in nightfall.

Over his shoulder, Kylo throws a glance back down at the way they had come, unable to see the layout of the mine and the buildings around it for the trees but knowing, ultimately, what lies smoldering and crumbled in the distance. It is Rey's question only that diverts his attention from wondering whether or not Ji had actually fallen underneath the rubble they - he - had brought down around them or if she is merely cloaked again, swaddled under a protective layer of darkness while she licks her wounds and stokes the fire higher. Before answering Rey, Kylo glances down at his feet to ensure that his steps are secure enough to continue onward and upward, mindful of the loose gravel that slants sideways and backwards, rolling as they make their way to a proper vantage point. )

Twice, to a degree. ( His explanation is not forthcoming, and he frowns at the space between Rey's shoulder blades where she can't see it, debating on what information to provide and how much of it. It takes only a quick, private reminder that there exist very few secrets between them now to cinch the decision to continue. ) Once, two or three years ago, on a personal errand before I was assigned a post on the Finalizer. Prior to that - ( He pauses, a memory that is not actually a memory but rather a recycled version of a memory based on second hand information alone, given to him as a child who had been curious about planets and systems and trade routes and the stars in general, grasping for bigger and better things than the tactile offerings of toys and hands to hold. ) - I was far too young to remember, though I've been told I enjoyed the food.

( Another long pause follows this admission, though what it admits is uncertain, given the vague nature of it, and he considers the length of her back, the width of her shoulders and the slouch, the slump, not defeated but worn down, an echo of what he knows he feels himself. The suggestion that they stop lives and dies in the back of his throat but he refuses to suggest it, not yet. Instead, he attempts what he rarely has before: small talk. However bitterly tinted with their past altercations it has to be in and of itself. )

Jakku is a long way off now. Yaga Minor, Corellia. Hapes and Concordia. What other systems have you added to your list since Starkiller Base?